nhrd network journal - national hrd · 2016-07-21 · nhrd network journal work-life balance july...

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ISSN - 0974 - 1739

NHRD Network JournalJuly 2009 Volume 2 Issue 3

www.nationalhrd.org

A quarterly Publication by The National HRD Network

Rosalie L Tung

Harish C Jain

Fang Lee Cooke

Anil Verma

Young-Chul Chang

Hyun Jeong Kim

Sarah Rainboth

Rupashree Baral

S Bhargava

Anup Kumar Singh

Richa Awasthy

A R Aryasri

S Suman Babu

N Sekar

V Chandra

C S Venkata Ratnam

S Vijayalakshmi

Vijayalakshmi Rao

Sandeep K. Krishnan

Catherine Hein

A Jaganmohan Reddy

David Clutterbuck

Bijaya Misra

www.nationalhrd.org

National HRD Network

The National HRD Network, established in 1985, is an

association of professionals committed to promoting

the HRD movement in India and enhancing the

capability of human resource professionals, enabling

them to make an impactful contribution in enhancing

competitiveness and creating value for society.

Towards this end, the National HRD Network is

committed to the development of human resources

through education, training, research and experience

sharing. The network is managed by HR professionals

in an honorary capacity, stemming from their interest

in contributing to the HR profession.

The underlying philosophy of the NHRDN is that every

human being has the potential for remarkable

achievement. HRD is a process by which employees in

organisations are enabled to:

• acquire capabilities to perform various tasks

associated with their present and future roles;

• develop their inner potential for self and

organisational growth,

• develop an organisational culture where

networking relationships, teamwork and

collaboration among different units is strong,

contributing to organisational growth and

individual well-being.

ABOUT THE JOURNALThe National HRD Network publishes a semi-academic quarterly journal-each issue dedicated to atheme. Publications so far include on the themes “IT in HR”, ”Performance Management”, “Attractingand Retaining Talent”, “Career Management”, “Organizational Change”, “Global HRM”, “Women inCorporate Leadership Roles”, “Organization Development”, “Learning and Development” and“Leadership”.

The current issue is on the theme of “Work-Life Balance”

The plan for the ensuing issues is as follows:

Date of Publication Theme Guest Editor

Oct. 2009 Institution Building Mr. S. Varadarajan

Jan. 2010 HR for, and of Gen Next —Leveraging Demographic Dividend Dr. S. Chandrasekhar

April 2010 Coaching for Performance andDevelopment Mr.Sridhar Ganesh

The journal publishes primarily three categories of articles:

• Conceptual and research based

• Contributions from thought leaders including a limited number of reprints with due permission

• Organisational experiences in HR interventions/mechanisms

Editorial Board Members :

Dr. P.V.R. Murthy, Managing Editor is a product of I.I.T., Kharagpur and IIM, Calcutta with close to thirtyyears experience in H.R. field. He is founder and runs an executive search firm Exclusive SearchRecruitment Consultants. He is associated with a number of academic institutions. He is trained inTQM in Japan and in human processes from ISABS and NTL, U.S.A., He is the National Secretary ofNational HRD Network and a member of CII National Committee on Skills, Human Resources & IndustrialRelations.

Aquil Busrai is Executive Director Human Resources with IBM India. He has over 36 years HRexperience, both in strategic and operational HR with blue chip organisations like Unilever in Kenyaand India, Motorola in Asia Pacific and Shell in Malaysia. He is the National President for National HRDNetwork.

Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay, is the Vice President & Head, Human Resources - Asia Pacific, PerotSystems. A doctoral fellow from XLRI and AHRD. He is trained in OD and Human Processes from NTL,USA, he believes in applying HR concepts to practice to make it more meaningful and effective. He isa mentor and coach to many young HR professionals.

NHRD Network Journal

Work-Life Balance

Volume 2 Issue 3 July 2009

NHRD Network Board MembersNational President: Aquil Busrai, ED-HR, IBM India Limited,

Some of the Past Dwarakanath P, Director-Group Human Capital, Max IndiaNational Presidents: Dr. Santrupt Misra, Director Aditya Birla Group

Arvind Agrawal, President-HR RPG Group

Dr.TV Rao and Dr.Udai Pareek

Regional Presidents:

East: Prof. Madhukar Shukla, XLRI, Jamshedpur

South: Gopalakrishna M, Director Incharge, A.P. Gas Power Corporation Ltd.

West: Satish Pradhan, Executive VP Group HR, Tata Sons

North: NS Rajan, Partner, Human Capital and Global Leader – HR Advisory,Ernst & Young

National Secretary: Dr. PVR Murthy, CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants

National Treasurer: Ashok Reddy B, VP-HR, Info Tech Enterprises

Executive Directors: Satyanarayana K (Hon.)

Mohit Gandhi

Editorial Board Dr. CS Venkataratnam, Director, International Management Institute,New Delhi(Guest Editor for this issue)

Dr. PVR Murthy, Managing Editor,CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants,[email protected]

Aquil Busrai, Executive Director, Human Resources, IBM IndiaLimited, [email protected]

Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay, VP-HR-Asia Pacific, Perot Systems,[email protected]

Publisher, Printer, Owner Satyanarayana K, Hon. Executive Director, National HRD Network onand Place of Publication behalf of National HRD Network, 506, Sai Siri Sampada, 7-1-29/23 & 24,

Leela Nagar, Ameer Pet, Hyderabad 500 016. Tel: +91 (40) [email protected]

Printed at Nagaraj & Co. Pvt. Ltd., 156, Developed Plots Industrial Estate,Perungudi, Chennai 600 096. Tel : 044 - 66149291

The views expressed by the authors are of theirown and not necessarily of the editors nor of thepublisher nor of authors’ organisations

Copyright of the NHRD Journal, all rights reserved.Contents may not be copied, emailed or reproducedwithout copyright holders’ express permission in writing.

NHRD firmly believes in and respects IPR and we appeal to thecontributors to strictly honour the same.

For any further clarifications, please contact :

The Managing EditorDr. P V R Murthy, CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants,

#8, Janaki Avenue, Off 4th Street, Abhiramapuram, Chennai 600 [email protected]

CONTENTSS.No. Title of Article Author Page No.

WORK LIFE BALANCE

1 Perspectives on Work life Balance:Implications for the Indian Context Rosalie L Tung 1

2 Issues & Prospects Relating toWork life Balance Harish C Jain 8

3 Work-life balance in China:Sources of conflicts and coping strategies Fang Lee Cooke 18

and Xingyao Jing

4 Realising the Korean Dream for Anil Verma 29Work-Family Balance: Employer Policies Young-Chul Changfor Sustainable Societies Hyun Jeong Kim

Sarah Rainboth

5 Work-life Balance Practices in Indian Rupashree Baral and 53Organisations: Challenges and Prospects S Bhargava

6 Work-life Balance: Causes, Consequences Anup Kumar Singh and 59and Interventions Richa Awasthy

7 Impact of Flexi-time as a Work-life Balance A R Aryasri 68Practice on Employee Retention S Suman Babu

8 Work-life Balance – A priority for both N Sekar 76employee and employer

BEST PRACTICES AND GUIDELINES

9 Model Guidelines and Best Practices for V Chandra 79Family Friendly Workplaces and Workforce C S Venkata Ratnam

REVIEW OF LITERATURE

10 Work-life balance: Review of Literature C S Venkata Ratnam 89V Chandra

S.No. Title of Article Author Page No.

EXPERIENCES AND VIEWS

11 “Life-balance” — A “real” perspective S Vijayalakshmi 98

12 Work-life Balance — My Thoughts Vijayalakshmi Rao 102

13 Work Life Balance — Young Dilemma Sandeep K Krishnan 104

Book Reviews

14 Reconciling Work and Family Reviewed by 107Responsibilities by Catherine Hein A Jaganmohan Reddy

15 The HR guide to Organisational Change: 109“Managing Work-Life Balance” Reviewed byby David Clutterbuck Bijaya Misra

EDITORIAL COMMENTS

Work-life balance (WLB) is a concept with several connotations and varied consequenceswithin and among different stakeholders.

Till the industrial revolution putting out system was widely prevalent where work usedto be largely home-based in agrarian societies. After industrial revolution people startedworking in factories though in good measure home based work continued in farms,workshops and family businesses, specially repair, road-side restaurants and retail.Information revolution and 24 × 7 work in the wake of global competition and globalproduction networks are increasingly blurring the distinction between home and work.Modern technologies reduced the physical strain of brawn work and facilitated womento join the workforce in large proportion. Rise of feminism apart, with dual earner families,nuclear families and single parents becoming virtually the norm especially in metros,concerns of WLB balance assumed urgency and new impetus from all quarters -governments, employers and individuals.

The issue can be addressed at the macro level through legislation at the national level bythe government, policy at the employer association and/or enterprise level,communication and facilitation by the immediate supervisors, and making choices/decisions at individual level and creating common/shared/pooled services at thecommunity level by civil society institutions.

The demographic shifts and increasing tendency for greater participation of women,who comprise almost half the workforce have resulted in a paradigm shift in redesign ofworkplace modeled on and for predominantly males to females, dual wage earners andthose with family responsibilities.

Government policies seek to protect the workers from overwork and abuse, ban womenworkers from night work in certain occupations, at least till recently, reduce the weightsto be handled by women, provide maternity and paternity leave and other facilities forchild and elder care.

Over the years, more and more companies have started regarding themselves as greatplaces to work if they took care of some of the responsibilities of workers with familyresponsibilities and created family friendly policies and practices. Ranking of best placesto work and best HR practices is contingent also upon how sensitive the employers aretowards work, life and family concerns. Paying attention to WLB, most employers nowrealise, makes business sense and fundamental to overall competitiveness.

Most individuals realise that they do not live to work, but they work to live while lifeand family occupies central space, except in the case of few career minded individuals

who prioritise life goals differently. While work-family and family-work conflicts arepervasive, to a large extent how they are managed is a function of individuals own senseof role-goal clarity and personal decisions about life's choices.

The papers included in this special issue are of three kinds: while some are based onexperiences of individual countries in the east (China, India and Korea) and the west(specially, Canada), many are conceptual and few empirical and a couple of themperceptual. Two papers deal with review of literature and best practices.

Rosalie Tung provides a conceptual paradigm of WLB and highlights the role ofenvironmental and moderating factors in facilitating work family balance or exacerbatingfamily work conflict. She argues that paying attention to WLB can have favourableoutcomes both at personal and organizational levels.

Harish Jain observes that the gap between need for work-life balance and the realityin most workplaces remains disturbingly wide. Employers across Canada do notprovide sufficient or adequate work life balance programs for their employees.However, recent research indicates that the factor that has the strongest associationwith employee commitment is managers' recognition of their employees' needs forwork-life balance. Hence employers need to create supportive work placeenvironments, as work life balance is the key to employee well being and henceorganization's productivity.

Lee Fang Cooke's study shows that Chinese organizational leaders and workers tend toaccept work-life conflict as a fact of life. Individuals adopt various coping strategies ontheir own. Whilst organizations are more likely to introduce HR initiatives to cushionthe negative effect of long working hours on their key employees and their family,managers are far less sympathetic towards employees' childcare needs and are unwillingto introduce policy to accommodate family commitments. Many of the HR initiativesadopted by organizations to help employees enhance their work-life balance are ofcollective nature. The attitude of Chinese managers and employees towards work-lifebalance reflects the Chinese traditional value as well as its current stage of economicdevelopment.

Anil Verma et al present a study on the situation in Korea. They observe that despiteKorea's economic prosperity in recent years, the conditions for Korean workers donot reflect such a success story. There are five significant issues impeding theachievement of positive conditions for Korean workers. The first is long work hours.Korean employees work, on average, significantly longer hours compared to otherOECD countries. The second is the growth of non-regular workers. The third is highoccupational accident rates. The fourth is a very low birth rate. The final issue forKorean workers is the lack of women in the labor force. The female employment ratein Korea is lower than the OECD average, partly due to a Korean culture that supports

the notion that women will discontinue employment once they have children andalso due to a lack of family-friendly work policies. The authors highlight the gapbetween the economic success of Korea and the quality of work and life for workers.The nature of the workforce today is generally very different from the workforce ofdecades past. Finding a better balance between work and family for Korean workersis intricately linked to the country's development and productivity. There are threepredominant initiatives towards which workers, employers, the government and non-governmental organizations need to tune their agendas. They argue that, workinghours need to be reduced, non-regular employment needs to be better and morefamily-friendly policies are needed to promote the status of women both at homeand at work.

Rupashree Baral and S. Bhargava share the findings of a research on IT organizationsin progress and observe that Indian organizations have started realizing thatWLB practices are crucial for organizational performance. While, applications ofstatutory practices such as maternity/paternity leaves are common across most ofthe organizations, discretionary practices such as flexi-time vary in their scope.

Singh and Richa point out that poor WLB results in a range of physical andpsychological strains in an individual with attendant consequences for organisationin terms of low productivity, poor quality, low employee retention and weakemployment engagement. They conclude that individual drivers are the major factorsof WLB for people. Sekhar underlines that individual must learn to prioritise betweenand professional and personal goals and companies cannot afford to neglect the needfor WLB.

Aryasri and Suman Babu analyse the impact of flexi-time on employee retentionas part of a work-life balance practice based on empirical evidence drawn fromIT sector. The study shows that when the average flexi time score increases, theaverage Employee Retention score also increases proportionately. It also foundspositive correlation and significant association between employee retention andflexi-time.

Venkataratnam and Chandra provide a select review of literature in different countriesand sectors. Chandra and Venkataratnam also provide insights into best practices inWLB, drawing upon the work of International Labour Organisation and also the policiesin about 25 large companies.

Further investigation into the impact of specific policies, circumstances, cultures andcontexts is needed, specially in India where empirical research on the subject is extremelyrare, if not non existent except for a couple of studies, of late in to services sector. Almostexclusively, the existing literature on the subject and the papers included in this issuedeals with the white collar workforce. There is a need to focus attention on WLB concerns

and issues of blue collar workers and that of the casual, contract, contingent and outsourcedworkers. While nothing is said or written about the subject as yet, whatever little evidenceone gets allows one to conclude that the less said the better it is because for these workers,specially in the unorganised sector who account for 93 per cent of the workforce in thecountry decent work is an elusive dream and even bare physiological and security needshaving not been generally fulfilled, any talk about WLB remains a far cry.

Through a section on Experiences and Views, an attempt is made in this issue to captureexperiences and views of a few HR professionals in attaining work-life balance, whereS Vijayalaksmi narrates her experience while Vijaya Lakshmi Rao and Sandeep Krishnashare their views.

Dr C S VENKATA RATNAM(Guest Editor for this Issue)

International Management Institute, New Delhi

Dr. PVR MurthyEditor and on behalfof the Editorial Team

July | 2009 NHRD Network Journal 1

PERSPECTIVES ON WORK-LIFE BALANCE:IMPLICATIONS FOR THE INDIAN CONTEXT

ROSALIE L TUNG

Abstract

This presentation, based on the keynote address delivered by the author at aninternational conference on the subject, provides a conceptual paradigm of work-life

balance and highlights the role of environmental and moderating factors in facilitatingwork family balance or exacerbating family work conflict. It is argued that payingattention to work-life balance can have favourable outcomes both at personal and

organisational levels.

INTRODUCTION

The term “work-life balance” (WLB) wascoined in 1986 to response to the growingconcerns by individuals and organisationsalike that work can impinge upon thequality of family life and vice-versa, thusgiving rise to the concepts of “work-familyconflict” (WFC) and “family-work conflict”(FWC). The former is also referred to as“work interferes with family” (WIF) whilethe latter is also known as “familyinterferes with work” (FIW). In otherwords, from the scarcity or zero-sumperspective, time devoted to work isconstrued as time taken away from one’sfamily life (Greenhaus and Beutell, 1985).There are 24 hours in a day that can be

About the Author

Professor Rosalie L. Tung, Ph.D. is Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, Fellow ofthe Academy of Management, Fellow of the Academy of International Business, Fellowof the British Academy of Management and The Ming and Stella Wong Professor ofInternational Business, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, Canada.

This paper is transcribed by Prof V. Chandra of International Management Institute,New Delhi based on the power point presentation made by Prof. Rosalie Tung at theInternational Conference on Work-Life Balance organised by InternationalManagement Institute and Power Management Institute of National Thermal PowerCorporation on 20 Feb 2007 at New Delhi.

divided into three important activities:work, family, and rest and recuperation. Ina 24 × 7 cut-throat competitive workenvironment, the amount of time devotedto work can take its toll on one’s family – itis little wonder therefore that there isgrowing concern about sleep deficit amongthe present generation more than everbefore. In other words, when one of thethree aforementioned activities takesprecedence over others in terms ofdemands on time and attention,correspondingly little is available for theother two.Stress and tension between work andfamily could often be a result of the strain,time pressures and behavioural disposition

2 July | 2009 NHRD Network Journal

or patterns. In most developing countries,at least until recently, only men workedoutside of the home. The old, establishedjoint hindu family system facilitated a cleardivision of responsibilities between the oldand the young (in terms of decisionmaking, the oldest male member in apatriarchal society is the head of thehousehold and would make all theimportant decisions); male and female (themen would work outside the household,whereas the women are responsible forraising children and taking charge of amyriad household responsibilities,including in some low-income families incertain parts of India, walking many mileseach day to fetch water and fire wood).

More recently, the scarcity perspective hasgiven way to the expansion-enhancementapproach that views that work can facilitateparticipation at home and vice-versa.This has given rise to the concepts of

Figure 1: A Conceptual Paradigm of WLB

Technological

Moderators

Outcomes

WFC

WFF

FWC

FWF

• Gender• Marital status• Size of family• Age of children• Social support:instrumental vs.emotional• Personality• Industry/Sector

Personal:• Health• Family issues, e.g., spouse, children Organizational:• FinancialMeasures ofPerformance• Non-Financial Measures, e.g., Job Satisfaction, Org. Commitment

Economic

Feedback Loop

Socio-Cultural

Institutional- legal

“work-family facilitation” (WFF) and“family-work facilitation” (FWF) whereexperiences acquired at work can facilitateparticipation at home and vice-versa(Frone, 2003). These two notions havecontributed to the construct of “work-lifebalance” where “a balanced life” consistsof work and family that are mutuallyreinforcing – the family experiences ofworkers can enrich their contributions towork and organizations, and vice-versa”(Aryee, Srinivas and Tan, 2005;132).

THE CONCEPTUAL PARADIGM

A conceptual paradigm of work-lifebalance is presented in Figure 1. Together,technological, economic, socio-culturaland institutional-legal factors influencework-life balance or the lack thereof, thusinfluencing outcomes, both personal andorganisational.


THE ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

Technological Environment

Technological progress has contributed tolabour- and time-saving devices in manyof the activities associated withshouldering family and householdresponsibilities, ranging from cooking towashing and housekeeping, to name a few.Moreover, it has also contributed to theemergence of virtual work places andflexiwork patterns which, to some extent,help cope with work-life demands betterthan before. Telework and telecommutingare becoming increasingly common. In theUS, the International Telework Associationand Council found that in 2005,approximately one-third of Americanemployees have entered into telework andtelecommuting work arrangements. Whilethis development can enhance WLB, itcould have a differential impact that lowersWFC but increases FWC. The potentialimpact that changes in the technologicalenvironment can have on WFC ismoderated by family size, job autonomyand flexibility (Golden, Veiga and Simsek,2006). The 24/7 work environment,coupled with modern wirelesstechnologies, have contributed to theupsurge in “extreme jobs” (also known asthe “American dream on steroids”) whereindividuals can work 70- or even 90-hourworkweeks (Hewlett and Luce, 2006). Thisdevelopment has given rise to thephenomenon of “Blackberry Thumb” and“do it yourself technology.” According toa survey by the Centre for Work-life policy,an estimated 21 percent of US workers areengaged in “extreme jobs” and 45 percentof those employed in global companies fallinto this work-style.

The emergence of “extreme jobs” hascontributed to workaholic symptoms suchas the increasingly blurred separationbetween work and home, so much so thateven at home, work appears to become the

top priority. Other workaholic symptomsinclude over commitment to work to theextent that one’s happiness is derived fromone’s work, work takes precedence overfamily and leisure time, no social lifeoutside of work-related events, work ison one’s mind 24/7, feelings of stressbecause of one’s work, one becomesupset when others suggest that onecut back on work, and not taking vacationsor taking one’s work on vacation(www.alalaboutlifechallenges.org).

Because “extreme jobs” are all consuming,some women may opt out from this work-style and choose the “mommy track”instead. With the “mommy track”, womencan resort to “on/off ramp careers”(Hewlett and Luce, 2005) whereby theymay take a hiatus from work during theirchild-bearing years. However, once theirchildren start school, they re-enter theworkforce. In reality, however, somewomen who pursue the “mommy track”may experience setbacks to their careers.

Economic Environment

Global competition and global productionnetworks through outsourcing havecreated relocation of jobs acrossinternational boundaries and contributedto new ways of overcoming the humantalent deficit. One of the major fallouts ofoutsourcing is the increase in dual-incomefamilies in developing countries, especiallythe emerging economies.

Socio-cultural Environment

Research has shown that the attitudetowards work, as defined in terms of hoursworked per annum, varies across countries.Below is the average number of annualwork hours in a select list of countries asreported by the OECD (2003):

Australia 1,814 hoursJapan 1,801 hoursUSA 1,792 hoursCanada 1,718 hours


UK 1,673 hoursItaly 1,591 hoursSweden1,564 hoursFrance 1,453 hoursNorway 1,337 hours

According to the 1998 Far East EconomicReview, in general, urban Asians workedan average of 2,149 hours per annum vis-a-vis 2,068 hours for South Americans,1,898 hours for North Americans and 1,773hours in Europe. Berlin, Germany, reportedthe lowest number of work hours perannum at 1,667, with the average workergetting 30 days off every year. Research inAnglo countries has also found a strongerpositive relationship between the numberof work hours and work-family stressors(Spector, Cooper, Poelmans et al. 2004).Overall, the WLB issues confrontingworkers in the industrialised countriesdiffer from that in the developingeconomies. To a certain extent, theproblems may be a function of the agingworkforce in the industrialized west withhigher demands on the care of the elderly;whereas in the case of countries like India,it is the younger population that requiresgreater family care and attention.

Economic and socio cultural factors can alsoaccount for differences in orientation towardssex and gender roles in handling familyresponsibilities. Gender-specific work rolesare more common in developing countriesthan in the developed countries. In India andChina, for example, traditionally there are the“three obediences” or responsibilities: Var(husband), Sir (Boss) and Ghar (householdduties). In post-Mao China and post-liberalization India, there is a significant shifttowards a more equitable distribution ofhousework and gender-free perceptions.In India, for example, in the past, womentend to view success in terms of theaccomplishments of their spouse andchildren, while the current generation ofwomen would like to experience itthemselves.

As societies advance materially and asliteracy levels improve, especially amongthe female population, there is a greaterawareness of the need for economic selfindependence among women with a moreequitable distribution of housework andparenting between men and women.Studies have shown that in dual-incomefamilies in Sweden, on average, men spendover 35 hours a week with their children.However, in general, men’s involvementin such activities is primarily in the formof providing emotional care-giving whilewomen, by and large, are still responsiblefor providing physical care-giving to theirchildren.

Institutional and Legal Environment

The International Labour Organization(ILO) has been a pioneer in championingthe cause of workers with familyresponsibilities and has established severalinternational labour standards andrecommendations on the subject. Theseinclude the following:

The ILO Convention 156 on Workers withFamily Responsibilities covers “allbranches of economic activity and allcategories of workers.” Ratifying countriesagree to “make it the aim of nationalpolicy to enable persons with familyresponsibilities to exercise their right toobtain or engage in employment withoutbeing subject to discrimination and, tothe extent possible, without conflictbetween their employment and familyresponsibilities.”

ILO Recommendation No.165supplements Convention 156 and outlinesmore concrete actions “to enhance thereconciliation of work and family life, suchas child care, family services and facilities,social security.”

Maternity Protection Convention (adoptedin 1919 and revised in 2000) andRecommendation No.191 on the subject


provide for maternity (parental) leaveextended from 12 to 14 weeks (includingpaternity leave to 18 weeks) and providesfor protection against dismissal of pregnantwomen and provision for breastfeedingduring working hours, among others.

Figure 2 provides the 2004 maternity leavepolicies in 166 countries.

At the national, state/provincial andmunicipal levels of governments,numerous steps have been taken toimplement the aforementioned ILOconventions and recommendations withvarying degrees of commitment.Multinational corporations are usuallyconsidered to be the transmission belts ofmodern human resource policies. Severalof them have adopted equal opportunityguidelines and implemented programspertaining to child care/family services toenable women to return to their career afterchild birth/care. This legal framework andimproved institutional support havefacilitated a greater level of participationof women in the workforce and their questto break the glass ceiling. As a result, moreand more employers have started takingcues from the ILO Recommendation on

Workers with Family Responsibilities,thereby putting into place a variety offacilitation measures in the moreprogressive organisations.

MODERATING VARIABLES

The relationship between theenvironmental factors discussed above andWLB are moderated by several variables,including gender, marital status, size of thefamily, age of children, social support,personality traits and industry/sector.

With regard to gender, as noted above,more men than women are engaged in“extreme jobs”. Furthermore, more womenthan men reported strain-based WFC, andFIW appears to pose greater problems forwomen than men (Lilly, Duffy and Virick,2006). Because of greater WFC, in Canada,there is an over-representation of womenin telework in light of the greater flexibilityassociated with this work arrangement(Ferrer and Gagne (2006). In addition,research shows that women tend toderive less benefit from social supportfrom their supervisors/colleagues incomparison to their male counterparts(Van Daalen,Willemsen, Sanders, 2006).

90 80 70 60 50 40 <14 weeks 30 14-17 wks 20 10 18 weeks 0

Figure 2: Length of Maternity Leave: 166 countries, 2004Source: ILO, 2005


In terms of marital status and family size,those who are single and those with smallerfamilies and/or with grown childrengenerally experience less work-family lifetensions than those who are married, havelarger families and young children. Tung(1999), for example, found a curvilinearrelationship between the number ofchildren and expatriate performance.

As far as social support is concerned, it isusually of two types: instrumental andemotional. Instrumental support comesfrom society and employers in terms of theprovision of family care facilities, longmaternity/paternity leave, workingwomen’s hostels, and home for the agedto care for the ageing population.Emotional support comes from one’sfamily, supervisors or colleagues. Forexample, if a woman can rely on herparents or in-laws and/or servants to assistwith child care and household duties, shetends to experience less WFC.

Personality traits can also moderate therelationship between environmentalvariables and WLB. Lilly, Duffy and Virick(2006), for example, found that those witha high need for power and a high need forachievement typically experience moreWIF, not FIW; while those with a high needfor affiliation tend to experience more FIW.

The nature of the industry/sector can alsoinfluence the WFC. As discussed earlier,extreme jobs are more common in certainindustries and sectors, such as investmentbanking. Wilson (2003) found that in theacademic world, “having childrenparticularly early on, can severely damagethe job prospects of women, fatherhood isactually a boon to academic men.” Ingeneral, the larger companies and those inmore modern/emerging sectors (such asinformation technology and IT-enabledindustries in comparison to the olderindustries like mining and construction)typically adopt more family friendly

policies that can moderate the level oftension between work and life/family(Ferrer and Gagne, 2006).

OUTCOMES

If left unaddressed, work family and familywork conflicts could adversely affectemployee health (Hewlett and Luce, 2006).Family issues, including the increasedincidence of divorce, are common wherework-family conflicts escalate. Forexample, Stark (2006) observed: “I’veheard so many so many stories aboutpeople, that suddenly their wife asks for adivorce and they had no idea it wascoming. Or their children just suddenlyexplode and say ‘you don’t understand me,you never have.’”

WFC can also have disastrousconsequences on the organisation, bothfinancial and non-financial-wise. Based ona study of 732 manufacturing firms in US,France, Germany and the UK, Bloom andVan Reenen (2006) found that firms withbetter WLB practices enjoyed significantlyhigher productivity. As far as the non-financial aspects of organisationalperformance are concerned, research hasshown that firms that adopt moreenlightened WLB policies can improve thelevel of job satisfaction and increaseorganisational commitment among theiremployees. For example, a survey of 1311senior executives worldwide conducted inMay 2006 (Pratt, 2006) revealed that: 24%of those surveyed would refuse apromotion that would jeopardise WLB;56% indicated that they would “seriouslyconsider refusing a promotion” that wouldjeopardise WLB; and 87% affirmed thatWLB is pivotal to their decision to join and/or remain in an organisation.

Thus, WLB is no longer a personal issuebut a strategic business concern. In otherwords, there is a business and economicimperative to enable and facilitate


employees to attain greater WLB as it canaffect a company’s bottom-line. As such,governments, employers, individuals andsociety, as a whole, have to address andundertake concerted measures to reduceWFC and advance WFF/FWF to deal withfamily work conflict.

SOME BEST PRACTICES

If reviewing the websites of corporationsand governments one can find detailedlisting of what they are doing to promoteWLB. Similarly, the website of theInternational Labour Organisation containsuseful information on workers withfamily responsibilities and offersrecommendations on what can be done atthe macro and micro levels. The followingare the best practices of some selectcompanies:

• Accenture: 60% of staff involved inflexiwork or telecommuting

• Eli Lilly: 50% of staff telecommute,encourage flexiwork

• Johnson and Johnson: enhancedparental leave

• Ford Motors: Senior Women’s Initiative

• General Mills: Flexiwork,telecommuting, job sharing

• Harvard University: Enhanced parentalleave benefits

• Family 360: Redefine success to include“meaningful family relationships(Stark, 2006)

RESEARCH FINDINGS IN INDIA

Based on the available literature, it appearsthat at present, there are relatively fewlegislative measures to support WLB inIndia. According to an undated article byArulappan, WLB is often viewed as a“luxury” issue rather than a business/economic imperative. Yet progress has beenmade. For example, the Indian government

has adopted legislative measures tosupport WLB through factory legislation(crèche,breast feeding breaks, etc.) andlegislation on maternity leave. TheGovernment of India also has specialprovisions for paternity leave and forcoordinating transfers when wife andhusband work for the same employer. Inaddition, progressive employers adoptfamily friendly policies in the form of jobsharing, part time work and short paid andlong unpaid leave for child care, etc. At thecommunity level, there are some initiativesfor the provision of common services likecrèche, etc. As women’s participation in theworkforce increases, work-family conflictspertaining to care of children and theelderly, the growing incidence of divorce(Hindu Business Line, 19 June 2006) andparenting have emerged as major concernsamong employees. Rappoport, Lewis andGambles (2004) reported that theworkplace response “tend(s) to be basedon the US model to support people to beable to work more rather than less.” Thisis possibly due to the influence ofMultinational Corporations’ policies oninclusive workforce and family friendlyworkplaces. Most Indians still seem toconsider WLB as an issue for the “haves”and less so for the “have nots” where worktends to take precedence over family. Somecompanies have publicized their being afamily friendly workplace as a recruitmenttool, rather than facilitating women toadvance in the workplace. Organizations,like WIPS (Women in Public Sector), areworking with the British High Commissionand the Standing Conference on PublicEnterprises to organise special trainingprograms for the career advancementof women to balance work and family.Aside from the government andMultinational Corporations, largecompanies in both the public and privatesectors have started to pay greater attentionto the subject because of their growingrealisation that they cannot afford to fish


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Bloom, Nick., and Reenen, John Van. 2007. ‘Measuring and Explaining Management Practices Across Firms and Nations’, QuarterlyJournal of Economics, 122 (4), 1351-1408

Desai, N. 1996. ‘Women’s Employment and Their Familial Role in India’, in A. M. Shah, B. S. Baviskar, and E. A. Ramaswamy(eds) Social Structure and Change: Women in Indian Society, Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Ferrer, Ana, and Gagne, Lynda. 2006. ‘Housing and Canadian Children Development Outcomes’, Canadian Public Policy, 32 (3),275-300

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Golden, T., Veiga, J. F. and Simsek, Z. 2006. ‘Telecommuting’s Differential Impact on Work-Family Conflict: Is There No Place LikeHome?’, Journal of Applied Psychology, 91 (1), 1340-1350.

Greenhaus, J.H. and Beutell, N.J. 1985. ‘Sources of Conflict between Work and Family Roles’, Academy of Management Journal,10 (1), 76-88.

Hewlett, S.A., and Luce, C.B. 2005. ‘Off-ramps and on-ramps: keeping talented women on the road to success’, Harvard BusinessReview, March, 43-54

Hewlett, S.A., and Luce, C.B. 2006. ‘Extreme jobs: the dangerous allure of the 70-hour work week’, Harvard Business Review,December, 49-59.

Judge, T. A., Ilies, R., and Scott, B. A. 2006. ‘Work-family conflict and emotions: Effects at work and at home’, Personnel Psychology,59, 779-814.

Komarraju, M. 1997. ‘The work-family interface in India’, in S. Parasuraman and J. H. Greenhaus (eds.), Integrating work andfamily: Challenges and choices for a changing world, 104-114, Westport, CT: Quorum Books.

Lilly, J.D., Duffy, J.A., and Virick, M. 2006. ‘A Gender-Sensitive Study of McClelland’s Needs, Stress, and Turnover Intent withWork-Family Conflict’, Women in Management Review, 21 (8), 662-680.

Perrone, K.M., Webb, L.K., and Blalock, R.H. 2005. ‘The effects of role congruence and role conflict on work, marital, and lifesatisfaction’, Journal of Career Development, 31, 225-238.

Prayag, Anjali. 2006. ‘Relationship Management — Inability to manage work-life balance top employee issue’, Hindu BusinessLine, June 18.

Rapoport, R., Lewis, S., and Gambles, R. 2004. ‘Work-personal life integration: visions and pragmatic strategies for change’, inLewis, S., and Cooper, C., Work-Life Integration: Case Studies of Organisational Change. Wiley, London.

Spector, P. E., Cooper, C. L., Poelmans, S., Allen, T. D., O’Driscoll, M., Sanchez, J. I., Siu, O. L., Dewe, P., Hart, P., Lu, L., deMoraes, L. F. R., Ostrognay, G. M., Sparks, K., Wong, P., and Yu, S. 2004. ‘A cross-national comparative study of work/familystressors, working hours, and well-being: China and Latin America vs. the Anglo world’, Personnel Psychology, 57, 119-142.

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in only half of the pond and thereby losequalified and experienced women to leavework mid-stream for family-relatedreasons. They see the need to design

workplaces and human resource policiesthat would enable workers with familiesto carry on both family and workresponsibilities.


ISSUES & PROSPECTS RELATING TOWORK-LIFE BALANCE

HARISH C JAIN

Introduction

Work is central to our lives. It provides uswith a sense of achievement, recognitionand above all a means of income to fulfillour basic and material needs. Globalisationand rapid technological changes demandmore of workers. This is because theworld of work is changing — such asdevelopment of new technology, more andmore women entering the workforce,resulting, in part, in two-earner familiesand above all a clash of work and personallife. These are some of the challenges facedby today’s workers. Most workers juggletheir personal and work-life every singleday, between children and work, andbetween other family and communityresponsibilities.

Balancing work and home life is a growingconcern for both employers and workers.Long working hours and the intensity ofwork have consistently emerged as two topmost concerns of workers. In a nationalstudy on work life conflict in Canada, in2001, one in four Canadians reported thattheir work responsibilities interfered withtheir ability to fulfill their responsibilitiesat home (Duxbury & Higgins, 2003).Countries such as UK, Ireland, Denmark,Sweden, US, and Canada, to name a few,have taken initiatives at providingwork/life balance programs for itsworking citizens.

According to Canadian Centre forOccupational Health and Safety (CCOHS)

work-life balance initiatives are anybenefits, policies, or programs that helpcreate a better balance between thedemands of the job and the healthymanagement (and enjoyment) of lifeoutside work. Such work/life initiativescan potentially deal with a wide range ofissues including on-site childcare, eldercareinitiatives, flexible working arrangements,parental and maternity leave, employeeassistance programs, on-site seminars andworkshops (on such topics as stress,nutrition, smoking, communication etc),internal and/or external educational ortraining opportunities, or fitness facilities,or fitness membership assistance(financial), etc (CCOHS).

Factors influencing the work-life balancecan be either demographic, such as agingworkforce; labour market trends such asflexible work arrangements; health andwellness initiatives by employers;and other factors such as child care costs.Such factors are then said to haveimportant implications for the wellbeing of all stakeholders, employees,employers, unions, governments, families,communities and the economy.

Definition

Work-life conflict (or imbalance) occurswhen cumulative demands of workand non-work roles are incompatiblein some respects, such as participation inone role is made more difficult by

About the Author

HARISH C JAIN, Commissioner, Canadian Human Rights Commission & ProfessorEmeritus, De Groote School of Business, McMaster Univeristy, Canada.


participation in the other roles (Duxburyand Higgins, 2003)1.

There are significant changes taking placein the economic, demographic, as well asin social and employment relationships.Rapid globalisation, as noted above,coupled with population aging and othereconomic factors have created labourshortages in Canada. The nature of work,and employment relationships are alsochanging with many more Canadiansopting for non-standard work and henceflexibility. There are also a large number ofsocial and institutional changes takingplace in Canada affecting families such asa surge in dual-earner and single parentfamilies, especially in the last decade. Thesechanges have affected employees’ needs inthe work place.

Literature review

The literature on work family balance isquite varied. Family-friendly workenvironment, such as flexitime, telework,etc has been portrayed as an importantcomponent of an individual worker’spreferences towards work time. It has beensuggested that such work arrangementsseek to help employees’ obtain a betterblend between their work and non-worklives while providing organisations with ameans of recruiting, retaining andmotivating their work force (Bachmann,2000; Schwartz, 1994).

A recent poll by the members of Society forHuman Resource Management indicatedthat professionals viewed flexibleworkplace schedules as a key to employeeretention and placed this workingcondition in the top three ways forachieving employee retention (Burke &

Collinson, 2004). Duxbury & Higgins(2003) in their seminal report on work-lifeconflict demonstrated that the respondentswith high levels of work to familyinterference reported: lower levels ofcommitment, lower levels of jobsatisfaction and high levels of job stress andthe high intent to turnover of any of therespondents in the study.

Despite these findings, in most workplaces,family friendly work arrangements andservices still remain limited. Comfort et al.(2003) analysed the data collected fromnew Workplace and Employee Survey(WES) and showed that only 2 to 7 percentof workers analysed reported havingchild or elder care services available tothem at the workplace. They alsodemonstrated that access to sucharrangements varied considerably bygender, type of benefit, and jobcharacteristics. Gender differences in accessto flexitime were interestingly in directionopposite to that which could be expected— women reported lower flextimeparticipation rates than men; 44% of menreported a flextime arrangement, ascompared to only 36% of women. Also,women acknowledged part time teleworkas a means of providing increased accessto flextime or telework schedule, ascompared to men for whom part time workwas unrelated to flexibility in work timeor place. This finding rendered support totheir claim that part-time work facilitateswork-family integration for women. Withregards to job characteristics, managersand professionals had a higher level ofaccess to all four work arrangements (childcare, elder care, flextime, and telework)than did employees in virtually all otheroccupations.

1 This study was based on 14,549 employees from 37 private sector companies, 5921 federal public sector

employees from 7 government departments


Drolet & Morissette (1997) analyzed theSurvey of Work Arrangements (SWA)dataset conducted by Statistics Canadain 1995 (comprising 19,143 respondents:9,932 men and 9,211 women) anddemonstrated that in the aggregate, foreach Canadian who chose to reducehis/her work hours, there were fourCanadians who would like to work morehours. Another interesting finding was thatolder, well-educated workers hadrelatively low unemployment rates andexhibited greatest propensity to desireshorter hours, than did young workerswith low levels of education who facedhigh unemployment rates yet rarelydesired fewer hours.

Senecal et al. (2001) analyzed a sample of786 French Canadians and demonstratedthat for both men and women low levelsof motivation towards work and family ledto family alienation. This alienation thenpredicted work-family conflict, which leadto emotional exhaustion.

Caproni (1997) unlike her peers takes adifferent stand on work life balance.Appreciative of scholars and practitionerswho are trying to promote balance betweenwork and life, she argues that much of thework in the field has been built on alanguage and logic based on traditionalmodels of bureaucratic organisationswhich further aggravates the problem.She cites certain problems in theprevalent literature: first, the overarchinggoal oriented approach to life thatassumes people have great deal ofchoice and control over their lives, andsecond, the sole focus on individual (andneglect of structural and relational) levelof analysis.

Whatever may be the case, work-lifebalance seems to have dual benefits forboth the employing organization and itsemployees. Employers benefit by

decreased absenteeism, increasedretention, increased job satisfaction andemployee commitment; while employeesbenefit with decreased stress relatedillnesses, decreased health care costs, lowerrole stressors and less interference of workin family life.

Costs and Benefits to employees andemployers

Work-related stress consists of workingconditions involving heavy work loads;lack of participation in decision-making;health and safety hazards; job insecurity;and tight deadlines. Employees (with highlevels of work-life conflict) are three timesmore likely to suffer from heart problems,infections, injuries, mental healthproblems, and back pain, and fivetimes more likely to suffer from certaincancers (Social Development Canada,2004). Another study indicates that suchworkers are also more likely toexperience poor health; experiencenegative impacts on relationships withchildren and their spouse; likely to missmore days per year; less committed tothe organisation; less satisfied withtheir job; more likely to intend to leavetheir job; and have poor quality ofrelationships outside work (Duxburyet al., 2002).

Case studies of twelve diverse businessorganisations by the Canadian labor andBusiness Centre (CLBC, 2002) focused onworkplace physical environment such assafety, ergonomics, etc.; health practices,such as, supporting healthy lifestyles andsocial environment and personal resources,that is, organisational culture, a sense ofcontrol over one’s work etc. The sample inthe case studies of business organizationswas drawn from 6 provinces and had 30 to7300 employees and included private andpublic companies ranging from hospitals


to steelmakers, and included bothunionized and non-unionised workplaces.Data was gathered through on-siteinterviews with both managers and union/worker representatives. Most workplacesmonitored absenteeism data, worker’scompensation board (WCB) costs, sickleave days and absenteeism rates.However, workplaces in general did notmeasure the links between health andworkplace performance. The mostconsistent health/workplace performancelink was employee turnover rates(CLBC, 2002).

In another study Duxbury & Higgins,(2003) estimate that absenteeism costsapproximately 3 billion dollars per year;with indirect costs, estimate goes tobetween 4.5 to 10 billion dollars. In theirsurvey, the authors found that 58% ofemployees working for large employers areat high risk of overload. They missed8.8 workdays per year. If employerseliminated high levels of overload, thedirect cost is approx. 3 billion dollars peryear (page 37). Other costs fromemployer’s perspective may include: lowerproductivity and higher workers’compensation claims. In terms ofhealth costs, workplace health initiativescan contribute to improved health,fitness, work-life balance, better morale,& lower levels of stress and fewer injuries(CLBC).

Why did these organisations introduceworkplace initiatives?

Following a crisis of some sort including:crises of finances; labour- managementrelations; worker morale and safety, amongothers. In these cases, owners/managersbelieved that healthy workplace measureshelped to achieve business objectivesthrough creating: positive workenvironment; fostering employee loyalty;

enhancing employee satisfaction andretention; and helped in attracting skilledemployees (CLBC, 2002).

Challenges faced by employers

Employers are facing: labor shortages of“knowledge workers” in the presenteconomy. In a period of increasing concernover skill shortages, it can also help anorganisation to become an ‘employer ofchoice’, enhancing its ability to recruit andretain employees.

For instance, IT industry is facingrevolutionary technological changes andmany other crises. The most importantchallenge for organisations in the privatesector is a conflict between work and lifeto the company’s “bottom line”.

Other Challenges

Population Aging in Canada: In 1981, theshare of total population aged 65 and overwas 8 percent. By 2011, the share willalmost double to 14 percent and near 20percent in 2021. This is due to 3 changes:increase in life expectancy, the long termdecrease in fertility (in 19th and 20th

Centuries), and baby boom followingWorld War II (Hunsley, 2006).

Research conducted by Human ResourcesDevelopment Canada (HRDC, 2000)suggests that older workers who havecome into self-employment from atraditional school system and a stable,longstanding employment relationship canbe expected to have much more difficultyadjusting to self-employment thanyounger persons. This is because the lattergroup consists of people who are productsof an education system and a labourmarket which mentally prepared them for,and exposed them to “flexible”employment relationships, as opposed toan expectation of lifetime careers. Hence,


it may very well be argued that olderworkers may need flexibility with respectto work schedules, limits on the use of shiftwork and overtime, job sharing and otherwork reduction opportunities, and specialconsideration (exemptions or preference,where possible) in the implementation ofprovisions pertaining to work-timearrangements.

However, to ensure that older workers cancontinue to work for as long as they wishand are able to do so requires answers tothe following questions: What is the impactof new technologies on older workers?What are the overall benefits of mentoringprograms by experienced older workers toyounger workers, for both employers andemployees? What are the type of flexibleworkplace policies and practices neededto extend the employability of olderworkers? What are the changes requiredto pension, insurance and other benefitplans to better ensure the financial stabilityof older workers? And lastly, what type ofhealth, safety and environmental issuesneed to be addressed to ensure the overallquality of life of older employees in theworkplace? (Fourzly, & Gervais, 2002).

Revolution in information andcommunications technology has ledquicker pace of work due to cell phones,the internet, & the blackberry. The type ofwork is changing to reflect moreinformation and service economy(Hunsley, 2006).

Non-standard and part time work: Inrecent years, competing demands of workand family have given rise to various formsof non-standard work arrangements suchas temporary help work, on-call work, daylabor, contract work, independentcontracting, self-employment, and part-time work in a standard employmentrelationship. Research indicates that

women are much more likely than men tobe employed in non-standard jobs; Seventypercent of part-time workers have beenwomen over past three decades (StatisticsCanada 2001). In 2004, 27% of the totalfemale work force in Canada, were part-time employees, compared with just 11%of employed men. Reasons cited by womenwere: not wanting want full-timeemployment, going to school, caring forchildren, and personal and familyresponsibilities. Part-time work offersflexibility in employment but is ofconcern as it offers fewer benefits andlittle prospects for an occupational pensionin lieu of flexibility (Chaykowoski &Powell, 1999). Hence, rarely do workers innon-standard jobs receive companybenefits in the form of pensions or healthcoverage. Often, there are also limitedmeans for advancement or training(Hunsley, 2006).

Dual earner families: The increase inwomen’s labour market participationhas contributed to “dual earner family’sphenomena”. Women in two parentfamilies with children under 16constituted 62 percent of the employedin 1997 compared to 36 percent in 1996(Hunsley, 2006).

Role of Governments

Canadian federal and provincialgovernments have legislated employmentstandards programs that include hours ofwork, minimum wages, equality in wages,annual vacations, general holidays, multi-employer employment, reassignment,maternity leave, parental leave,compassionate care leave, bereavementleave, termination of employment,severance pay, garnishment, sick-leave,work-related illness and injury, unjustdismissal, payment of wages, and sexualharassment (Hunsley, 2006).


The Canadian Human Rights Commission

The CHRC policies put the health, safetyand well being of its employees at theforefront of its work. The CHRC believesthat it is not possible to bring aboutinnovation in human rights, or any field,without a motivated work force. Amotivated work force depends on placingthe well being of the employees into themix for achieving progress.

The 3rd national survey (2005) (the fullCanadian Public Service survey results forall federal departments and agencies areaccessible on the Internet. Similarly, theprogram of the CHRC will also beaccessible on the Internet once it is put inplace) indicated the following about theemployees of the CHRC:

• 89% of staff at the CHRC agreed thatthey have the materials and equipmentneeded to do their job and 89% ofemployees are satisfied with theircurrent work arrangements (e.g.,regular hours, telework, andcompressed work week.

• 85% of employees (compared to 75% in2002) indicated that they get the trainingthey need to do their job. In addition,70% of staff (very similar to 68% in 2002)responded that they get on-the-jobcoaching to help them improve the waythey do their job.

• 70% of staff (similar to 69% in 2002)believed they had opportunities todevelop and apply the skills they needto enhance their career while 62% ofemployees in the federal public serviceprovided this response.

• 76% of employees of the CHRC agreedthat they can balance their personal,family and work needs in their currentjob compared to 69% of employees inthe PS overall.

The survey results have been achieved byputting in place, over the past few years, anumber of “foundation stones” for workplace wellness. At present the CHRC isplanning to build on this foundation bybringing together a number of its initiativesinto an integrated wellness program. Theseare likely to include, but not be limited to,the following components

1. Open and clear two waycommunication

2. Enabling work/life balance

3. Training and development

4. Valuing people and giving clear directionand guidance

5. Investing in facilities and workplacepractices

6. Awards and recognition

7. Improving healthy choices andactivities

The full Canadian Public Service surveyresults for all federal departments andagencies are accessible on the Internet, seereferences. Similarly, the program of theCHRC will also be accessible on theInternet once it is put in place) indicatedthe following about the employees of theCHRC:

Selected Employer Policies in the PrivateSector

Some employers in the private sectorprovide family friendly benefits such asworkplace childcare and employmentinsurance supplements to maternity,paternity and sick leave and other alternatework arrangements. Some of these policesinclude: facilitating leave from work forfamily reasons such as extension to leavewhich may be paid or unpaid; facilitatingchanges in work schedules such as


switching to part time work; job sharingor reduced work week; flexitime (flexibilityin start and stop hours) or telework (workfrom home); and family support policiessuch as offering help with child/elder care.Other policies include; telework:employees work at home for pay; familysupport such as childcare, eldercare orother types of family support (Ferrer &Gagne, 2006).

Unions

Unions assist through collectivebargaining. They negotiate and promoteprovisions that support employee’s worklife balance. Collective agreementprovisions dealing with thesearrangements reflect the concerns of a largeproportion of older workers. Somecollective agreements allow older workersor employees with substantial seniority tochange their hours of work (schedulechange) provided that the employee is 50years of age or older or has 25 years ofservice; the requested schedule does notimpede operations; and the requestedschedule is not a regular schedule providedfor in the collective agreement (Rochon,2000). Hence, such provisions show theresponsiveness of employers and unionsto the needs and concerns of workers,including older workers seeking moreflexibility in the workplace.

Experiences of Other Countries

Data from the European Union, the UnitedKingdom, Australia and the United Statesindicates that work-life conflict is agrowing issue in these jurisdictions.Many workers report that they aredissatisfied with their working hours,are stressed from high levels of workintensity, and suffer from healthproblems due to work demands. Toimprove their work-life balance, many

workers would prefer to work reducedand more flexible hours.

U.K., New Zealand and Australia (Todd,2004)

• Actively endorse work-life balance asan explicit policy goal.

• Have launched work-life balancecampaigns

• Focus on promotional activities and

• Have formulated voluntary complianceof employers to develop and implementwork-life balance practices in theirorganizations

• Promote work-life balance initiatives bythe employers through awardprograms.

• Guides are also aimed at making the“business case” for work-life balance

U.K. has also initiated programs to providefunding and consultancy services toemployers to develop practices thatsupport work life balance.

New Zealand and Australia, for example,both offer “best practice” awards tocompanies. Some governments haveintroduced legislation to support worklife balance. The U.K. legislation givesparents the right to request flexibleworking arrangements. Denmark andSweden both allow parents to work part-time and prolong their leave beyond theusual benefits period. Sweden’s leaveprogram includes emphasize father’sinvolvement in care giving.

Initiatives, such as the Netherlands’ “leavesavings” and Sweden’s sabbatical leave,allow workers more time to devote to caregiving and to pursue other interests outsideof work. Several countries have adoptedindividual pieces of legislation or policies


that address some aspect of work-lifebalance. Examples include France’sreduction of hours in the statutorywork week, Belgium’s introduction oftime credits, Ireland’s “Work-Life BalanceDay” and the U.S. resolution to proclaim“Work and Family Month.” There is notlikely to be any “one size fits all” answerto work-life balance issues. A varietyof approaches are available to supportwork-life balance, ranging frompromotional programs that providesupport to employers to reduce businesscosts to legislation that supports parentswith care giving responsibilities.

Future Developments

The future will bring more pressures onprime-age workers, because of the comingretirement of baby boomers. The previousmodel of family and life-cycle pattern suchas education followed by career (mostly formales) and then retirement, is no longerviable. With aging population, economicand social gains could possibly be derivedfrom more flexibility of choice regardingthe allocation of time among work, familyresponsibilities, leisure and learningthroughout one’s life (Voyer, 2006).

Demand for elder care will also be ofparamount concern. In 1980, there were 7.6individuals aged 40 to 64 for everyindividual aged 75 and over. By 2010, therewill be only 5.6 individuals aged 40 to 64for every individual aged 75 and over andthis number is estimated to furtherdecrease to 3.2 by 2030 (Hunsley, 2006).

The gap between need for work-lifebalance and the reality in most workplaces

remains disturbingly wide. Employersacross Canada do not provide sufficient oradequate work-life balance programs fortheir employees. However, recent researchindicates that the factor that has thestrongest association with employeecommitment is managers’ recognition oftheir employees’ needs for work-lifebalance (Higgins et al. 2004). Henceemployers need to create supportive workplace environments, as work life balanceis the key to employee well-being andhence organization’s productivity.

The diverse range of research stemmingfrom academics and Canadian governmentefforts (HRDC, Statistics Canada, andHealth Canada in particular) suggests thatthe future of work-life balance programspoint to a number of suggestions topolicymakers. First, we need to refocus thisdiscussion to cover the millions of workingparents and individuals who lack thefinancial means at present to lessen thedifficulties of bringing up children, orcaring for elderly and working at the sametime. Second, we need to place the work-life issue in a wider context and make it anall inclusive approach, available to everyindividual who needs it irrespective oftheir gender, race, ethnicity, etc (Taylor,2003). More importantly we need to replacethe mismatch in the provision of familybenefits, which seems to be biased towardsworkers who are in no dire need of them.This is partly due to availability of familybenefits which have been linked with firmsize, industry and occupation. Thissuggests that technological constraints areimportant in the determination of thesebenefits (Ferrer, & Gagne, 2006).

References

Bachmann, K. (2000). Work-life Balance. Are Employers Listening? Ottawa: Conference Board of Canada.

Burke, M.J., &Collison, J. (2004). U.S. Job Recovery and Retention Poll Findings. Society for Human Resource Management.

Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety, (2002). OSH answers. (http://www.ccohs.ca/oshanswers/psychosocial/worklife_balance.html)


Caproni, P.J. (1997). Work/Life balance: You cant get there from here. Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 33(1), 46-56

Chaykowski, R.P. and L.M. Powell. 1999. “Women and the labour market: Recent trends and policy issues.” Canadian Public Policy.25, supplement 1: S2–S25.

Comfort, D., K. Johnson, and D. Wallace. (2003). Part-Time Work and Family-Friendly Practices in Canadian Workplaces. The EvolvingWorkplace Series 6. Cat. no. 71-584-MIE. Ottawa: Statistics Canada and Human Resources Development Canada.

Drolet, M., and R. Morissette. (1997). Working More? Working Less: What Do Canadian Workers Prefer? Cat. no.11F0019MPE, No.104. Ottawa: Statistics Canada. May.

Duxbury, L. & Higgins, C. (2002). The 2001 National Work- life conflict study. Final report, Public Health Agency of Canada

Duxbury, L. & Higgins, C. (2003). Work-life Conflict in Canada in the New Millennium: A Status Report. Ottawa: Health Canada.

Ferrer, A. & Gagne, L. (2006). The use of family friendly workplaces practices in Canada. Institute for Research on Public Policy.Working Paper Series no. 2006-02.

Fourzly, M., & Gervais, M. (2002). Collective agreements and older workers in Canada. Human Resource Development Canada,Labour program

Higgins, C., Duxbury, L., & Johnson, K. (2004). Exploring the Link Between Work-life Conflict and Demands on Canada’s Health CareSystem. Health Canada, Report 3

Hunsley, T. (2006). Work Life Balance in an Aging Population. Dimensions, Ottawa: Policy Research Institute, Govt. of Canada.

Lessons Learned Own-Account Self-Employment in Canada (2000). Final report: Evaluation and Data Development, Strategic Policy,Human Resources Development Canada

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Rochon, C.P. (2000). Work and family provisions in Canadian collective agreements. Human Resource Development Canada, LabourProgram. http://labour.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/doc/wlb-ctp/

Schwartz, F. 1994. An Examination of the Impact of Family-friendly Policies on the Glass Ceiling. New York: Families and WorkInstitute.

Senecal, C., Vallerand, R.J., & Guay, F. (2002). Antecedents and Outcomes of Work-Family Conflict: Toward a Motivational Model.Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 27(2), 176-186

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Taylor, R. (2003). The Future of Work Life Balance. Swindon: ESRC.

Todd, S. (2004). Improving Work-life Balance-What are other countries doing? Ottawa: Human resources & Skills Development Canada.

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Introduction

One contributing factor to China’s rapideconomic development in the last twodecades has been the abundance of itsrelatively cheap labour and theirwillingness to work long hours, oftenunder poor working conditions.Heightened global competition and the fastgrowth of the private sector have alsoresulted in work intensification for manyemployees, including managers andprofessional workers. In many ways,China’s economic achievement has beenbuilt on the premise: ‘grow first, clean uplater’ and ‘get rich first, enjoy life later’.Meanwhile, the economic and social

WORK-LIFE BALANCE IN CHINA: SOURCES OFCONFLICTS AND COPING STRATEGIES

FANG LEE COOKE and XINGYAO JING

Abstract

This paper outlines major sources of work-life conflicts encountered by workers inChina against a context of marketisation of the economy, the rapid growth of the

private sector and a trend of work intensification across occupational groups.The study shows that Chinese organisational leaders and workers tend to

accept work-life conflict as a fact of life. Individuals adopt various copingstrategies on their own. Whilst organisations are more likely to introduce

HR initiatives to cushion the negative effect of long working hours on their keyemployees and their family, managers are far less sympathetic towards

employees’ childcare needs and are unwilling to introduce policy toaccommodate family commitments. Many of the HR initiatives adopted

by organisations to help employees enhance their work-life balance are ofcollective nature. The attitude of Chinese managers and employees

towards work-life balance reflects the Chinese traditional value as wellas its current stage of economic development.

Key words: China, gender equality, human resource management, rural migrant

worker, social wellbeing, work-life balance

impact of work-life imbalance is an issueof growing concern among academics,HR professionals, policy makers,occupational health authorities andpressure groups in western societies.Much of the policy attention and publicdebate on work-life balance has beenhinged on the potential conflict betweenwork and family life, particularly for thosewho have care responsibilities at home.Family-friendly policy, such as flexibleworking time arrangement, is seen as akey mechanism to address competingwork-life demands and its effectiveimplementation remains a challenge at theorganisational level.


What may be the sources of work-lifeconflict (WLC) for different groups ofChinese workers? What HR initiatives, ifany, may have been introduced byemployers to address work-life issues? Arethese initiatives sufficient and effective? Ifnot, what coping strategies may individualworkers and their family adopt to alleviatethe tension and achieve a level of work-life balance? These are the key questionsthat we seek to address in this paper. Wedraw our answers from secondaryinformation as well as primary empiricaldata. In particular, the primary empiricaldata comes from a large project on new HRpractices in China, of which work-lifebalance forms part of the investigation. Forthis paper, we draw information fromsemi-structured interviews we haveconducted with 122 CEOs, seniormanagers, mid-ranking managers andprofessional employees. We proceed byfirst outlining the characteristics ofthe Chinese labour market as a contextagainst which we can assess work-lifebalance issues.

Employment context in China

China has 764 million people in industrialemployment in 2006. Over 283 millionwere employed in the urban area across avariety of business ownership forms. Therest were employed in enterprises in therural area or were self-employed, engagingin non-agricultural economic activities. Inthis paper, we focus on the work-life issuesof employees who are working in theformal sector in the urban area. Theseemployees work in a range of industries.For the convenience of discussion, thevarious ownership forms are grouped intofour broad categories: state-ownedorganisations (SOEs), collectively-ownedenterprises (COEs), privately-ownedenterprises (POEs) and foreign-investedenterprises (FIEs). Employment in SOEsand COEs has been shrinking since the

1980s and more so since the mid-1990s. Bycontrast, POEs and FIEs have experiencedsteady and significant growth as a resultof the marketization of the economy. Forexample, in 1978, SOEs and COEs made upof over 99.8 per cent of the urbanworkforce. By the end of 2006, they onlymade up of 25.4 per cent (China StatisticalYearbook 2007).

A unique characteristic of the Chineselabour market is the high participation ratefrom women (see Table 1). They tend towork full-time throughout their workinglife, interrupted by only a short period ofmaternity leave – usually less than 6months (Cooke 2005; Stockman et al. 1995).There are several related reasons for this.One is that participation in employment isseen as an important indicator of women’sliberation and independence by theChinese state. With more than 38 per centof its full-time workforce being women (seeTable 1), China has one of the highestwomen’s employment participation ratesin the world. This is a result of the stateinterventions through legislation,administrative policy and affirmativeaction programmes that are aimed topromote gender equality and enhancewomen’s economic and social positions.Significant investment was made inchildcare facilities to relieve the burden ofworking mothers in the state sector.Another reason is that the socialistgovernment’s economic policy thatfavoured full employment with low wageand low inflation, particularly during thestate planned economy period (1949-1978),necessitates dual wages to support afamily. The accessibility to extended familysupport networks and low cost childcareservices further encourages dual full-timeworking among couples with youngchildren. The one-child policy enforced bythe government since the 1980s to controlthe population growth has further reducedthe amount of childcare work for working


couples. The model of a modern urbanChinese family typically takes the form ofdual careers/dual earners, with much lesssharply divided marital roles and possiblygreater gender equality than that inindustrial capitalist societies (Cooke 2007;Stockman et al. 1995). A third reason is thatmost of the working women are full-timeworkers because there are no establishedarrangements for part-time work in Chinato accommodate working mothers. Womenwho work part-time jobs (e.g. householdcleaning) may need to work several

part-time jobs in order to earn afull-time wage. It is worth noting thatwhilst Chinese women’s employmentparticipation rate is high, discriminationagainst them still widely exists, asevidenced in the low proportion of themin managerial jobs and governmentorganisations (Cooke 2005, also seeTable 1).

Another unique feature of China’s labourmarket, and one that has been pivotal toits burgeoning economic development in

Table 1. Proportion (%) of female employees by ownership and sector in urban unitsin China (end of 1995 and 2006)

Item Total State Collective Otherownership ownership ownership

Year 1995 2006 1995 2006 1995 2006 1995 2006National Total 38.6 38.0 36.1 37.1 44.6 36.4 48.3 39.4Farming, Forestry,Animal Husbandry,Fishery 37.6 37.6 37.8 37.8 31.9 27.8 37.2 35.7Mining & Quarrying 25.9 21.7 24.4 23.1 42.1 29.7 22.8 19.7Manufacturing 45.2 43.7 40.9 33.6 53.1 44.8 49.7 45.7Electricity, Gas & WaterProduction & Supply 31.4 30.2 31.5 30.4 32.1 32.7 28.8 29.5Construction 19.4 14.0 20.7 16.7 17.8 15.0 14.2 12.3Traffic, Transport,Storage and post 26.5 26.9 25.9 26.2 29.4 31.6 24.2 27.9Wholesale & Retail 46.3 44.6 54.1 44.9 38.1 53.8 47.5 41.8& Catering* 59.4 56.4 50.4 53.7Finance 40.0 48.6 39.3 45.6 41.9 43.5 46.0 54.4Real Estate 33.7 33.0 34.1 34.3 33.2 34.0 31.9 32.3Social welfare 44.1 49.6 43.0 49.0 55.1 55.4 59.0 59.2Health Care 56.9 60.2 58.1 60.8 49.7 54.6 57.8 62.1Education 41.9 48.8 41.8 48.7 48.9 50.8 42.5 52.4Culture and art 40.1 45.9 40.2 46.1 39.2 40.9 42.6 47.2Government & PartyAgencies, SocialOrganisations 22.6 27.5 22.5 27.5 35.0 42.5 30.0 37.5

Sources: adapted from the China Statistics Yearbook 1996, pp. 101-2; the China Labour Statistics Yearbook 2007, pp. 20-3.* Figures in 1995 were combined as one entry ‘Wholesale, Retail and Catering’, but separated in 2004 as

entries under ‘Wholesale and Retail’ and ‘Accommodation and Restaurants’.


the last two decades, has been the extensiveparticipation in urban employment fromthe rural migrant workers within thecountry. The inflow of rural migrantworkers to urban areas en mass started inthe late 1980s. In 1995, there were about 50million rural migrant workers (Chen et al.2001). This had increased to some 150million by 2006, making up 58 per cent ofthe workers in the industry sector and 52per cent in the service sector (The StateCouncil 2006). Initially working inmanufacturing plants, constructions sitesand as domestic helpers, they are nowworking in a wide spread of industries andoccupations, but primarily in private firms,foreign-invested sweatshop plants and theinformal sector where labour standards arelow and employment regulations oftenviolated. The majority of them are poorlypaid and work extremely long hours inpoor working conditions.

Sources of work-life conflicts

Family care commitment and workintensification are the two major sourcesof work-life conflicts (WLC) in the Chinesecontext. One direct consequence of themarketization of the Chinese economy hasbeen work intensification, particularly forthose in the private and informal sector.According to the annual sample surveyconducted by the national labourauthorities (see China Labour StatisticalYearbook 2007), the average working hoursper week in the urban area has been risingsteadily in recent years from 45.4 hours in2003 (45.8 hours for men and 44.9 hoursfor women) to 47.26 hours in 2006 (48.3hours for men and 45.9 hours for women).In particular, those who work in themanufacturing (50.4 hours), construction(51.3 hours), transport, logistics and postalservice (50 hours), wholesale and retail(52.5 hours), hotel and catering (54.4hours), and community services (52.1

hours) sectors work the longest hours(figures shown are for 2006). In 2006, 47.4per cent of rural migrant workers in thesurvey worked more than 48 hours,compared with 30.9 per cent of workerswith urban resident status who did so. Theactual number of hours worked by thosein FIE sweatshop manufacturing plantsand private firms may never be establishedofficially as employers have the vestedinterest not to disclose the real figures inorder to avoid overtime payment and legalsanction. What is known from academicstudies of smaller scale is that workers inFIE manufacturing plants and privateenterprises tend to work extensive hours,often beyond 60 hours with few rest days(e.g. Chan 2001; Cooke 2005; Lee 2007; Pun& Smith 2007).

As such, those who are young and singletend to have less WLC issues comparedwith those who have childcare and elderlycare responsibilities. Those who work inthe state sector will face less WLC issues,generally speaking, than those who workin the private sector, as competition andperformance pressure is relatively lower inthe state sector than that in the privatesector. Similarly, the level of position heldand income both have positive relationwith the level of WLC in different ways(Chen 2006). While those in higherorganisational positions tend to feelgreater pressure of work which affects theirfamily life negatively, those who are onlower income are less able to commercialisetheir housework and family careresponsibility and experience morework-life struggles.

Family care commitment

Working women are more likely to beaffected by WLC than men since themajority of women spend more time thanmen on housework, childcare and elderlycare. Since the majority of Chinese women


work throughout their life, their WLCtends to be the highest when they arebetween 30-45 years of age. Liu (2003)observed that the relation between age andWLC takes a parabola shape, with WLCreaching the top at the middle of one’scareer. Liu argued that WLC exists from thebeginning of one’s working life till the end.WLC-related problems also manifestthemselves in different ways during thedifferent stages of one’s career. At thebeginning of the career, one is starting toencounter WLC and learn from it. In themiddle phase of the career, family structureis changing and responsibilities from bothfamily and work domain are increasing.Therefore one experiences the most WLCin this phase. At the end of one’s career,the individual is shifting the focus from thejob back to the family and therefore WLCstarts to decline over time.

The weight of income also impact onWLC. Wu et al. (2003) found that femaleworkers whose income makes up between40 and 60 per cent of their family incomewould have more WLC. This is becausewomen with less income weight arefocusing more on their family, whereaswomen with more income weight aremore career-oriented. According to Wu etal. (2003), only those female workers with40-60 per cent weight of income do nothave a clear role of themselves andstruggle between work and family. It mustbe noted that women (and men) do notalways have a choice of what work theydo, how long they work and when, asthese are often decided by theiremployers, the business needs and thefinancial needs of their family.

Our interview with the Chief (Mr Zhong)of a government organisation reveals someof the tension between work and family lifeamongst some women employees. Zhong’sorganisation is an auditing department ofthe municipal government of a large city.

Employees are classified as civil servants.There are 30 to 40 female auditors withschool-aged children in his organisation.Due to the business nature, they arerequired to go on business trips frequently,sometimes almost seven months in totalper year. This group of women employeesfind it very hard to cope with thesebusiness trips and a young family. Bycontrast, older employees with grown-upchildren said they feel life is much easierthan when their children were younger.When asked if the organisation has anypolicy to help employees with their familyissues, Zhong replied that there is no needto do so. This is because civil servant jobsare highly sought after in the labour marketdue to their job security and goodremuneration package (e.g. high salary,benefits and pension schemes). Althoughemployees do have WLC issues, these arenot serious enough for them to quit.However, the organization does providemany entertainment events (at least oncea month) for its employees and their familyto help employees release stress and spendquality time with their family.

Work intensification

As noted above, working long hours isoften a source of WLC for the Chineseworkers. Managers interviewed commonlyreported that they require employees towork overtime, paid or unpaid, often inshort notice to cope with workload duringpeak period of production or busy seasonssuch as festivals.

In the low-paid jobs, workers oftendemand overtime opportunities and arewilling to accept normal rate of pay insteadof overtime premium stipulated by law.Employers are also happy to provideovertime work with reduced labour costassociated with additional headcounts.Work-life balance is undoubtedly an issuefor these workers, but paradoxically, they


prefer to work more hours rather than tospend time with their family. Increasingtheir wage level would be the mosteffective, but unlikely solution due to theirlack of bargaining power and the costpressure some employers are facing.

Work intensification associated with longhours and intensive work pace is alsooccurring to professional and managerialworkers in the fast growing industries suchas telecommunication, IT, consultancy,finance and real estate industries. Work-lifebalance is a problem commonly reportedby managers and professionals in these fastgrowing private businesses. For example,a manager in charge of the customer servicedepartment of an IT firm revealed that hereceives over 300 work-related emailsper day on average. So he has to deal withthem everyday including during holidaysand weekends in order to avoid theaccumulation of back log. Anotherinterviewee disclosed: ‘Apart fromsleeping, I am thinking about work all thetime and am worried that I cannot finishmy work’ (Assistant to the President of alarge bank, a single young woman).

In general, our interviews with managersand professional employees revealed thefollowing sources of work intensificationand WLC:

• Long working hours, often involvingexcessive and continuous overtime

• High performance targets, makingit very difficult to achieve duringnormal working hours, hence unpaidovertime

• Market competition pressure leading tostress

• Extra workload due to staff shortages,vacancies sometimes left unfilleddeliberately by employers in order tosave cost

• Need to train employees in their sparetime to increase their skill to keep upwith new technology and knowledge

• Too many business trips to open up newmarkets and for other business needs.

Organisational support throughHR intervention

Work intensification has led to healthproblems and attrition of professional andmanagerial employees. To address theseproblems, some companies have startedto introduce employee welfare andwellbeing initiatives, social activities andmutual support schemes to create a happyand supportive environment in theworkplace. For example, according to anHR manager interviewed by the firstauthor in October 2007, McKinsey(Shanghai) is introducing a range ofsocial activities to avert the negative effectof long working hours and stem theattrition problem. These includeorganising wine-tasting events and aseries of social clubs. In some firms,social events are organised to allowemployees demonstrate their skills(e.g. composing poems, drawing andpainting) and enable managers to get toknow the employees better. Funds arereserved for employee welfare activities.For example, in a law firm, there will beat least one collective event each week forbonding and relaxation. Employeesprovide emotional support as well asdonation of money to colleagues whoencounter sudden and major familyproblem, such as serious illness of childor parents. Efforts are made to nurturea joyful organisational culture to makeemployees happier and the workplacemore harmonious. Whilst managersinterviewed all emphasised theimportance of establishing a goodworking environment as a good way tomotivate employees and retain talent,


they did recognize that it will take a longtime to develop such an organisationalculture.

In addition, some companies have hiredprofessionals to provide counsellingservices for stress-related problems. Otheremployee assistance programmes (EAPs)are being introduced by MNCs andwell-performing private firms to helpemployees cope with their stress. Whileorganising social life for employees (andtheir families) has long been a feature ofworkplace welfare provision in SOEs andto a lesser extent in private firms as part ofthe Chinese paternalistic culture, EAPs arerelatively new in China and are mainlyprovided to professional and managerialemployees.

As noted above, work intensificationassociated with long working hours isendemic in the manufacturing sector,particularly in sweatshop factories whereworkers are primarily rural migrants.They rely on long hours of working inorder to compensate for their low wages.Managers interviewed by the authorsreported that employees are not veryinterested in participating in the socialactivities but prefer to work more hoursto earn extra money.

The above examples suggest that work-life conflicts in China derive from a rangeof sources that may be different from thosemanifested in western societies andrequire different HR initiatives in theChinese context. Our interview datashows that organisations have adoptedthe following HR interventions to addressthe WLC issues. However, managersinterviewed admitted that these initiativeswere mostly developed on an ac hoc basisto deal with the problems in a pragmaticmanner. They have not conductedsystematic analysis of WLC problems attheir workplace to decide what may be the

best solutions. The number of HRinitiatives adopted by each organisationtends to vary, with some having a morecomprehensive coverage than others.

Moral influence and spiritual support

• Asking employees to understand thedifficult situation of the company andcontribute towards its goal

• Cultivating a sense of achievement andpride from employees by working hardfor the company

• Setting up employee self-help groupsto reduce stress, with marginal effect

Financial rewards

• Increasing income and benefits,particularly for key employees who thecompany is keen to retain

• Organizing social activities, art andcultural events and sports events afterwork and during festivals

• Providing paid holidays for managerialstaff

• Engaging family members (e.g. takingkey employees and their familymembers out for dinner regularly)

• Organizing company-sponsoredholiday trips with family members

Non-financial rewards

• Career development planning to letemployees see their career prospectswith the company

• Promotion based on performance andachievement

• Recognition of employees withexcellent performance

Working time adjustment/arrangements

• Organizing exercise breaks

• Reduction of overtime


• Compulsory rest time for employees

• Time in lieu

• Simplifying work process andorganizing working time moreeffectively

• Flexible working time (adoptedinformally mainly in governmentorganizations and private professionalfirms such as law firms andaccountancy firms)

It is worth noting that many of these HRinterventions do not address the WLCproblem on a day-to-day basis or tackle theroot of the problem. Financial rewards andmaterial incentives seem to be the mainremedy. Managers interviewed commonlyreported that these HR interventions onlyhave marginal to average effect. In fact,some of the HR interventions may evenexacerbate employees’ work-life balanceproblem. For example, since managerialstaff tend to encounter a greater level ofwork intensity, promoted employees mayfeel the pressure to work even harder toprove themselves. Few managersmentioned the need for line managers todevelop a greater understanding ofemployees and provide support. Indeed,emotional intelligence is not yetemphasised in leadership training inChina. This is in spite of the fact thatsupports from workplaces and superiorshave been proved to be effective inreducing workers’ WLC (Allen 2000;Casper et al. 2002; Li 2003; Thompsonet al. 2004).

Our interview data further reveals that themajority of managers are indifferent towork-life balance issues. They seem to holdthe view that work is important for boththe organisation and individual employeesand that for the sake of both, individualwellbeing and family life need to besacrificed. If an employee is unhappy about

his/her work-life balance, then there areplenty more people who are waiting to dothe job, as revealed earlier in Mr Zhong’scase. His view is shared by others. Forexample, an owner CEO of a privateaccounting firm believes that once awoman chooses to work, then she cannotbe a good housewife at the same time. Assuch, female employees do not get muchspecial treatment in her company exceptmaternity leave entitlement stipulated bylaw. As the employer, she understands thather employees face different degrees ofWLC. She believes that income level is themost important factor that retains heremployees. Her strategy is to set a low basicsalary which is topped up by performance-related bonus. Her employees must keepthemselves busy in order to get earn moreand WLC cannot be avoided. Employeesmust decide how to allocate their energybetween work and family. After all, work-life balance can only be met when one hasa solid foundation of wealth. Her companyoffers few family support policies, buthosts social events regularly to helpemployees release work stress and enjoythe social occasions with their family. Forexample, the company participates in theannual sport game held by the municipalaccountants association and holds its owntable tennis games. On the domestic front,her ‘high income strategy’ does help someof her employees to reduce WLC. Somemale employees have turned their wife intoa full-time housewife focusing on familyresponsibilities, although one may arguethat this is actually a setback of genderequality.

Perhaps not surprisingly, there seems to bea mis-match between managers’ attitudetoward employees’ work-life balanceas reported here and the employees’expectation of what support they desirefrom their employer. For example, Chen(2006) found that 37 per cent of sampled


knowledge workers believed that working-time flexibility could reduce WLCefficiently. Chen’s (2006) study also showedthat 31 per cent of knowledge workersexpected that their organisations wouldoffer them childcare and/or elderly-caresupport when they suffer from WLC. Bycontrast, managers interviewed by us arenot receptive to the idea of having a formalHR policy on flexible work arrangementsfor employees. They prefer to deal withemployees’ request informally on a case bycase basis rather than institutionalisingthe arrangement which may be takenadvantage of by certain employees.Managers did give examples when theyexercised their discretion to accommodateindividual employees’ family commitment(e.g. looking after a sick member ofthe family). They see this as a moralcommitment that is informed by theChinese paternalistic culture and areciprocal reward to those employees whoare deemed loyal and well-behaved. Fewprivate firms offer childcare support totheir employees. As a result, our findingsand that from other studies (e.g. Lu et al.2002) suggest that the negative impact ofwork on family life tends to be greater thanthe impact of conflict of family life on work.

Coping strategies adopted byindividuals

In the absence of effective HR interventionsto tackle WLC problems, individuals adopta range of coping strategies. For example,some individuals join sports clubs to keepfit and to socialize with people who havesimilar backgrounds. For younger andmarketable employees, voting with theirfeet is a common strategy. As Nathwani etal.’s (2007) study shows, Chineseemployees spend more time than theirIndian counterparts to pursue their hobbiesand would be ready to leave the companyif work pressure is perceived to be too high.

While younger and single employees mayfeel less WLC, working long hours andanxiety of holding on a career are having anegative impact on their non-work life.This is particularly the case for single careerwomen who may be experiencing a viciouscircle of having no partner, then spendingmore time to work which results in havingless opportunity to find a partner andhence remaining single. Some marriedwomen also have to postpone theirmotherhood once they get married in orderto hold on to their career.

For those who have childcare and elderlycare commitment, outsourcing housework(e.g. babysitting, cooking, and cleaning) isthe most commonly used personal copingmechanism to reduce WLC. For example,Aaltio and Huang’s (2007) study of femaleIT managers in China found that womensought support from parents or parents-in-law, hired tutors for children’s homework,employed domestic helper for child-minding, cleaning, cooking, shopping, andshared family responsibilities with theirhusband.

For others, withdrawing from family lifeseems the preferred solution, as was thecase of Mr Zhong, the Chief of an auditingdepartment discussed earlier. Zhong,married with one child, has been workingin the auditing department for all hiscareer, which started over 20 years ago.When he was asked if he had ever felt hiswork affected on his family life, he said‘no’. However, his answers to otherquestions show that his job actually affectshis family life heavily. Zhong has beenworking for about 12 hours per day foryears. The lunch break in governmentorganizations is from 11:30 am to 2:30 pm.People usually go home to have lunch withtheir family and take a nap afterwards.Zhong has been staying in his office forlunch break for more than 6 years andrarely has lunch with his wife. His


workload leaves him with little choice butto work (unpaid) overtime. The higherposition one is in, the more workload onehas in his organisation. However, Zhongfeels fine with his overtime working. Hesaid that he feels fulfilled for beingrecognized by his colleagues for doing hisjob well. He admitted that he is exhaustedfrom doing his job, though he enjoys beingbusy. If he had the opportunity to choosehis career again, he would still choose hiscurrent job. The main reason that Zhongis not experiencing WLC is because ofthe understanding and support from hiswife, as he said, ‘she knows everythingI do is for the family.’ It would bereasonable to conclude that Zhong’sattitude towards his personal work-lifebalance has influenced the way he seesWLC issues faced by his staff and thereforemakes little provision to support them.Examples like Zhong’s are plenty in China,particularly amongst men.

Conclusions

This paper has outlined major sources ofwork-life conflicts encountered by workersin China against a context of marketisationof the economy, the rapid growth of theprivate sector and a trend of workintensification across occupational groups.Despite the fact that the one-child policyhas led to the reduction of childcare workfor married couples, childcare and elderlycare responsibilities continue to fall uponwomen disproportionately in spite of thefact that most of them work full-time.Therefore, women are more likely to feelthe pressure of WLC than men.Outsourcing their housework and familycare, drawing on family networks forassistance or domesticating one spouse,usually the wife, seem to be the copingmechanisms. For some single careerwomen, their work-life conflict takesanother form – the difficulty in finding aspouse and the fear of starting a family

at the expense of their career. Higherearners are able to reduce their WLC bycommercialising their householdresponsibilities and are more likely tocomplain to their company about workinglong hours and ask for compensation ofone form or another. By contrast, those whoare on low pay and in insecure jobs actuallydemand more working hours in orderto increase their wage income, thusperpetuating the long-hours culture.

Our study shows that Chineseorganisational leaders and to a large extentworkers tend to accept work-life conflictas a fact of life without feeling the need forthe organisation to address it. Individualsadopt various coping strategies on theirown. Whilst organisations are more likelyto introduce HR initiatives to cushion thenegative effect of long working hours ontheir key employees and their family,managers are far less sympathetic towardswomen’s (and men’s) childcare needs andare unwilling to introduce policy toaccommodate family commitments.

Many of the HR initiatives adopted byorganisations to help employees enhancetheir work-life balance are of collectivenature, providing bonding opportunitiesamong employees and between employeesand their family. In addition, moneyremains the main motivator and de-stressor in that financial and materialrewards have been the main mechanismsfor alleviating employees’ grievance ofWLC inflicted by work intensification. Thisreflects China’s current stage of economicdevelopment, that is, people desire betterliving standard and extra material rewardsare appreciated. It also reflects the Chinesecollectivist and paternalistic culture inwhich a workplace plays an important rolein providing social bonding activities todevelop and maintain a harmoniousrelationship amongst employees andbetween the firm and its workforce. The


provision of employee welfare andemployee entertainment is traditionallyseen by Chinese firms as an importantingredient to improve morale andcommitment of the workforce and enhanceproductivity of the firm (Cooke 2009).The willingness of individuals and theirfamily to endure WLC further reflectsthe traditional Chinese work ethics in

which work and career achievement isgiven primacy over family life orself enjoyment. Diligence and self-sacrifice,including family’s wellbeing, for thepublic good are praised and glorified.Relaxation is only encouraged in thesense that it will contribute to theregeneration of energy for one to workmore efficiently.

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REALISING THE KOREAN DREAM FOR WORK-FAMILY BALANCE: EMPLOYER POLICIES FOR

SUSTAINABLE SOCIETIESANIL VERMA, YOUNG-CHUL CHANG, HYUN JEONG KIM and SARAH RAINBOTH,

MIRHR CANDIDATE1

Abstract

The Korean economy has grown tremendously thanks to great advancements in technology andcapital. Despite Korea’s economic prosperity in recent years, the conditions for Korean workersdo not reflect such a success story. Workers’ dreams of reasonable work hours, safe workplacesand comfortable family lives, have not been realized. There are five significant issues impedingthe achievement of positive conditions for Korean workers. The first is long work hours. Korean

employees work, on average, significantly longer hours compared to other OECD countries.The second is the growth of non-regular workers. By 2005, 29% of all employees in Korea weretemporary workers, typically earning significantly less and receiving fewer benefits compared

to regular workers. The third is high occupational accident rates. The fourth is a very low birthrate. Korean birth rates are the lowest among OECD countries,

at 1.1 children per woman. The final issue for Korean workers is the lack of women in thelabor force. The female employment rate in Korea is lower than the OECD average, partly

due to a Korean culture that supports the notion that women will discontinueemployment once they have children and also due to a lack of family-friendly work

policies. Essentially, there is a gap between the economic success of Korea and the qualityof work and life for workers. Employers and public policy initiatives can help

Korean workers realise their dream.

The nature of the workforce today is generally very different from the workforce of decades

past. The male breadwinner in a full-time permanent job with one company for his career is no

longer the prevailing description of a worker. Throughout the world, there is an increase in

self-employment, contract work, temporary work, periodic career changes, educational

endeavors, relocation, female participation in the workforce and non-traditional family

structures. The issue of work-life balance has become increasingly important for individuals

and organisations. Finding a better balance between work and family for Korean workers is

intricately linked to the country’s development and productivity. There are three predominant

initiatives towards which workers, employers, the government and non-governmental

organizations need to tune their agendas. Firstly, working hours need to be reduced, through

various public and private policy initiatives. Secondly, non-regular employment needs to be

better regulated so that these workers are afforded comparable pay and benefits to regular

workers. Finally, more family-friendly policies are needed to promote the status of

women both at home and at work.


The Korean economy is now known as anAsian Tiger for its rapid industrialisationand adoption of advanced technology. Byany measure, the Korean economy is thegreat success story of our generation. In thepast four decades, the Korean economy hasexperienced only two years of negativegrowth. The first was in 1980 during thesecond oil shock and the second was in1998 in the wake of the Asian financialcrisis (Noland 2007). Economic growth inKorea remains one of the highest amongOECD countries (OECD 2007). By 2005,Korea became the world’s 10th largesteconomy with a GNP of $983 billion (Officeof the United States Trade Representative2006). Korean business has expandedaggressively overseas, fuelling growth inother parts of Asia including rapidlygrowing economies such as India andChina. Many Korean brands such asSamsung, Hyundai and LG have becomewell-known global brands.

Despite the great advancements intechnology and capital, conditions for

Korean workers stand out in contrast to theeconomic success story. Although someimprovements such as an increase in realwages in the last three decades cannot beoverlooked, conditions for workers athome and at work fall far short of Korea’simage as an economic powerhouse. Inshort, the Korean economic prosperity hasnot translated into the realisation of Koreanworkers’ dream of better working hours,safer workplaces and comfortable familylives. Workers generally want fulfillingjobs with good pay that allow for theachievement of satisfaction both in theworkplace and at home.

There are five significant areas in which theKorean dream remains elusive. Firstly,Korean workers generally work very longhours. More than 80% of male workerswork more than 40 hours per week. TheOECD average percentage of malesworking more than 40 hours per week isonly 68%. Three out of four workingKorean women also work more than 40hours per week. In 2005, the average hours

About the Authors

Anil Verma is Professor, Rotman School of Management,University of Toronto and Centre for Industrial Relations,University of Toronto and Middlesex University Business School.

Young-Chul Chang is Professor, School ofBusiness Administration, Kyung HeeUniversity.

Hyun Jeong Kim is Professor, College ofBusiness Administration, Inha University.

Sarah Rainboth is MIRHR Candidate, Centre forIndustrial Relations, University of Toronto.

The authors are grateful to Beatrice Moos for valuable researchassistance.


worked for Korean workers was 2,350 peryear compared to roughly 1,800 per yearin the U.S. and 1,850 per year in Japan(OECD Korea Statistical Profile, 2007). Withsuch long hours at work most workers areunable to contribute efficiently at work orlead satisfying lives at home.

The second issue, and one that is ofsubstantial concern, is the growth of non-regular workers such as temporary,contract and atypical workers. The numberof temporary workers in Korea rose from17% of all employees in 2001 to 29% in 2005,the second highest rate among the OECDcountries (OECD Economic Survey 2007).Non-regular workers generally earnsignificantly less income than regularworkers. In 2005, non-regular workersearned nearly 40% less than regularworkers and also got relatively littlecoverage by social insurance programs(OECD Economic Survey 2007). Due to thelower labor costs and more flexibleemployment associated with non-regularworkers, firms have been keen to hirethis type of labor in recent years. Theemployment of regular workers is heavilyregulated with respect to issues such ashiring and firing, which increases theincentive for employers to hire more non-regular workers. Non-regular workershave far fewer safeguards, lower wages, alack of job security and less access to socialassistance programs. This trend toward atwo-tier employment system is certainlynot aiding the realisation of workers’dreams of secure, appropriatelycompensated employment.

The third issue is high occupationalaccident rates. Of the 11,688,797 employeesworking in Korean workplaces covered bythe Industrial Accident CompensationInsurance Act, casualties requiring medicalcare for a minimum of 4 days numbered89,910 in 2006. The overall accidentrate was 0.77% (KOSHA). 10,235 peoplesuffered from occupational diseases in

2006, an increase of 36.6% from theprevious year (KOSHA). Finally, thenumber of fatalities in 2006 was 2,453 as aresult of both occupational accidents andoccupational diseases (KOSHA).

The fourth issue facing the country is a verylow birth rate which can be seen, at least inpart, as a correlate of the trends describedabove. In 1960, the average Korean birthrate was 6 children per woman. It iscurrently roughly 1.1 children per woman.Korean birth rates are the lowest amongOECD countries with the average forOECD countries being 1.6 children perwoman (OECD Economic Survey 2007). Asa result, estimates suggest that thepopulation size will begin to decline by2030 and decline below its current level by2040 (Noland 2007). In addition to low birthrates, Korea is facing a rapidly agingpopulation such that if labor forceparticipation rates remain stable, thelabor force will decline by 23% by midcentury (OECD Economic Survey). Withindividuals working such long hours,there is little motivation (or time) tohave children. Additionally, the costof education and housing is very highin Korea.

Lastly, in order to stimulate labor forceparticipation, Korea needs to welcomewomen into the workplace more than everbefore. In fact, in a recent report on genderequality, the World Economic Forumranked Korea 97th out of 128 countries,well below the majority of OECD countries(World Economic Forum 2007). In 2005, themale employment rate was close to 75%,which is similar to the OECD average,while the female employment rate wasonly 52.5%, which is lower than the OECDaverage. There are several reasons for thelow employment rate of Korean women.Firstly, the Korean employment culturetends to support the notion that women areexpected to discontinue their career orregular employment contracts once they


give birth. As a result, many women dropout of the labor force when they havechildren or simply decide not to havechildren (hence why birth rates are rapidlydeclining). Women are also much morelikely to have temporary, non-regularemployment contracts which, as discussedabove, are often not nearly as desirable asregular employment contracts. In order toencourage women to join the labor forceand to reverse the declining birth ratetrend, family-friendly policies need to beput in place. Amongst other things, formalchildcare support, maternity leaveprovisions and employer welcoming ofwomen back to their jobs after childbirthshould be implemented (Family, Pensionand Health Policy Challenged).

These five issues illustrate the discrepancybetween Korea’s economic success and abetter life for Korean workers. Unlesspolicies and programs are put in place toaddress these issues, it is likely that Koreanworkers will continue to toil in conditionsmore common in the developing world. Inthe long-run this gap between economicand social outcomes will likely put theentire system at risk of social, economic andpolitical disruption, an outcome that willbe bad not only for Korea but also the restof the world.

Even as Korea enjoys the fruits of its recentsuccesses, the risks to the Korean economyshould not be underestimated at this stageof development of the global economy.Korea faces competitive challenges from itsneighbors, low-wage China and high-techJapan. The information technologyprogress in Korea has been impressive butthe country falls behind in the heavilyregulated service sector, which is seriouslylagging behind the industrial sector(Noland 2007). The risk of future laborshortages is exacerbated also by strictimmigration policies. Korea does nothave a formal program for admittingimmigrants. It nonetheless receives

growing numbers of legal and illegalforeign workers and spouses. The effectiveintegration of these workers will beimportant if the needs of a growingeconomy are to be met.

In this report, we review the issues thatcontribute to the gap between economicsuccess of the country and the quality ofwork and life for workers in Korea.Following this overview, we look at pastresearch to summarise what we havelearned from previous work. The nextsection examines what employers can doto help make life better for their workers.Lastly, we consider the role of public policyto identify some policy priorities. Our hopeis that this report will encourage a livelydebate around policy initiatives that couldhelp Korean workers realise their dreams.Better lives for Koreans will be essential tosustainable development of the Koreaneconomy, and by extension, of the globaleconomy.

Work-Family Balance as a CoreWorkplace & Societal Issue

Striking a balance between family andwork is not an easy undertaking and failureto do so results in work-family conflict.Work-family conflict is of concern to boththe individual and the organisation inwhich he or she is employed. The stress ofharmonising personal and occupationaldemands can have high costs for personallife as well as organisational success. Withfamilies working longer and harder thanever before many young Americans arerealising how difficult, perhaps impossible,it may be to achieve the same standard ofliving they were accustomed to whilegrowing up.

Aside from long work hours and heavyworkloads, several additional aspects ofthe labor market are affecting theworkforce. In all societies, the distributionof income is complex and, often, uneven.While a nation as a whole may be wealthy,


that wealth tends to be distributedunequally. A cross-national comparisonrevealed that income inequality is rampantwithin 20 wealthy nations, with mostnations experiencing a considerable rise inincome inequality during the 1990s(Gottschalk & Smeeding, 1999).Interestingly, income inequality hasincreased more speedily in North Americathan in continental Europe in the pastquarter of a century. From the mid 1970sto the mid 1980s, trends in the distributionof individual labor incomes were quitedifferent in Canada and the United States.The subsequent decade, however, sawmore similar patterns of change betweenthe countries. Canada somewhat avoidedthe rises in income inequality witnessed inthe US and the UK in the 1980s and early1990s. By the late 1990s, however, Canadianincome inequality had increased as thebenefits of economic expansion wentmainly to higher income families. In 2005,income inequality was higher in Canadathan in Europe but lower than in the UnitedStates (Picot & Mylers, 2005).

As far as families are concerned, individuallabor incomes are less important than theoverall family disposable income(combination of labor income, investmentreturns and government transfers, minusincome taxes and payroll taxes).Disposable income is dependent on socialprograms and government taxationpolicies. In regard to family disposableincome, Canada has considerably lessinequality and polarisation, and higherincomes at the low end of the spectrum,than the US. Income inequality in recentyears has often been blamed onglobalisation and technologicaladvancements. There are other underlyingdevelopments affecting income disparitiesas well. Not all sources are in agreementon the actual rate of growth of incomeinequality but there is little argument thatincome inequality exists, particularly in

Canada and the US, and has been on therise in recent years.

Another aspect of the labor market affectingworkers is pension coverage. As thepopulation ages, this topic is of particularimportance. In Canada, between 1986 and1997, pension coverage fell slightly foryoung women and significantly for men,but increased for prime-aged women. Thesum that men and young womencontributed to RRSPs, however, increasedmarkedly (Morissette & Drolet, 2001).

The assessment of readiness for retirementis different for families than for singlepeople. Morissette and Ostrovsky (2006)discuss issues of pension coverage andretirement savings for Canadian families.Some of the data is presented in thisparagraph. Pension coverage fell formarried men while rising for marriedwomen. The wives’ coverage increasehelped to offset the husbands’ decliningcoverage. Pension coverage also fellsubstantially for single fathers and slightlyfor individuals who are unmarried or notsingle parents. On average, retirementsavings grew for two-parent families. Ofnote, however, are the differences betweencouples across the earnings distribution.Couples in the top quintile of the earningsdistribution benefited from substantialincreases in RRSP and RPP contributions.Couples in the middle quintile alsoexperienced significant growth whilecouples in the lower quintile had theircontributions stagnate. Lone-parentfamilies also experienced a similar trend.Currently, two-parent and lone-parentfamilies in the lowest quintile are no betterequipped for retirement than theircounterparts were in the past. Those in thetop quintile are better prepared than theirequals were in the mid-1980s (Morissette& Ostrovsky). Looking at US data,American workers have seen an estimated$7 billion decline in pension coverage from1985 to 2000 (Kochan, 2005).


Additionally, many workers are nowfinding that their once secure employmentis being threatened. In attempts to cut costs,some companies are downsizing theirlabor force. Each year a million Canadiansare permanently let go from their jobs. TheCanadian labor market has been known totend toward depressed hiring rates ratherthan increased lay-off rates from year toyear (Picot, Garnett & Lin, 1997).

On top of a lack of job security, manyworkers are confronted with the worry ofhealth care. Approximately 45 millionAmericans are currently without healthinsurance coverage (Kochan, 2005). UScitizens spent 53 percent more for healthcare in 2002 than any other country(Anderson, Hussey, Frogner & Waters,2005). American citizens (compared toCanadians) are less likely to have a regulardoctor, more likely to have unmet healthneeds and more likely to forgo necessarymedicines (Lasser, Himmelstein &Woolhandler, 2006). There are disparitiesin health coverage based on race, incomeand immigrant status in both the US andCanada but they are more pronounced inthe US. There also are substantialdifferences in access and care experiencesbetween US adults with high vs. lowincomes, while differences by income in theUK are rare (Schoen & Doty, 2004). Resultsfor New Zealand and Canada are in themiddle range, with income gaps mostevident on services that are less wellcovered by national systems. Citizens inAustralia, Canada, New Zealand, the UKand the US all express dissatisfaction withthe national health care system. Peoplewith incomes below the national medianexpress higher dissatisfaction (Blendon etal., 2002).

Other relevant issues for workers includewage changes and government policies.While cost of living is increasing, theaverage American median wage earner oftoday makes roughly the same amount as

a median wage earner a decade ago(Kochan, 2005). Moreover, there is asignificant wage differential between largeand small firms.

One means through which employees canhelp assuage these concerns is by having avoice at work, often by way of a union.Union rates, however, in many advancedcapitalist countries (including Canada)started declining in the 1980s. This declineis especially predominant amongstyounger workers, men, and people ingoods producing industries (Morissette,Schellenberg & Johnson, 2005). Theproportion of British establishments thatrecognised unions for collectiveagreements over pay and work conditionsfell by nearly 20% from 1980 to 1990(Disney, Gosling & Machin, 1995). InEurope, union density varies from 84% inDenmark to 11% in Portugal (Schnabel andWagner, 2007). In 2003 the union densityin the US fell below 13% overall, and to 8%in the private sector (the lowest level since1901) (Hurd, 2004). Today overall uniondensity in the US is around 7% and appearsto be falling. Union density in Canada iscurrently around 20%. Findings suggestthat the decline in US union participationis due to a lack of worker demand for unionrepresentation (Farber & Krueger, 1992). InGreat Britain, the presence of jobdissatisfaction, left-wing views andperceived union instrumentality arepredictive of willingness to join a union(Charlwood, 2002).

As far as job satisfaction is concerned,research shows a relationship with age. Foroverall satisfaction, pay satisfaction andsatisfaction with the work itself, a U-shapeexists in relation to age (Clark & Warr,1996). Employees also seem to valueproductivity as an important work goaland a source of job satisfaction.

In this day and age, less than ¼ of Americanhomes are made up of one breadwinner


and one homemaker. Family and work aretightly coupled spheres. Given the impetustoward balancing work and family,employers need to make necessaryadjustments in order to assist employeesin achieving a sense of equilibrium. Failureto implement family friendly policies mayimpede the ability to recruit and retainknowledge workers and foster a frustratedand stressed workforce.

The above discussion outlines the currentstructure of the workforce. Of particularnote is the prominence of working families,which has led to a more diverse work force.Several key topics related to the workforcearise in this section. Income inequality is avery real issue in North America and someparts of Europe. Employees are alsoworried about pension coverage,particularly those workers at the low endof the earnings spectrum who tend to beworse off when it comes to readiness forretirement. Disparities in health carecoverage also plague today’s workforce,especially in the U.S. where access to, andquality of, health care is quite uneven.Additionally, some working families aredealing with low wages, changinggovernment policies and a lack of jobsecurity. In order for working families tosurvive and be satisfied in their jobs,workers need to have a voice at work,whether it be in the form of a union orotherwise.

The shift from males as the sole source ofincome to dual-earner couples and single-parent families has left families busier thanever and trying to perform a balancing actbetween work and family.

This brief overview of developments inwestern nations although not exhaustiveis indicative of the changes taking place inthe area of work-family balance. Severalgeneralisations can be made. First, there isgreater and growing awareness amongemployers of the need to help their

employees balance work and family life.The awareness has led to many policies andprograms including awards for exemplaryemployers. Second, the diffusion of suchfamily-friendly policies and practices is notuniform across industry and workplaces.While some employers and countries havemade great strides, others remain rootedin an older mindset. Third, from theevidence gathered through surveys it is notimmediately clear what factors mayaccount for their uneven diffusion. Itappears that business imperatives may bea partial explanation only. Effectiveleadership combined with growingawareness of the issues may be importantas well in encouraging employers to adoptsuch policies.

In generations past, it was not uncommonfor children to receive only a few years ofeducation before starting to work fulltime.In the present day and age, education is animportant resource without which gettinga good job can be very difficult. The currenteconomy has been dubbed ‘knowledge-based’. The manufacturing sector haslargely given way to industries in whichinformation, technology and knowledge,are paramount. In the knowledge economy,employee skills, experience and trainingtranslate into capital.

Mathematical, technological and scientificskills are assets in today’s workforce. Inaddition to these academic skills,employers are looking for other importantpractical skills. Amongst other things, theability to work in teams, to lead others, toproblem solve and to communicate clearlyare critical (Kochan, 2005). Besides formalschooling, it is important to continue on apath of lifelong learning. In the competitivework world, workers need to keep theirqualifications and skills up to date.Employees are using varying methods toexpand their skills and knowledgethroughout their careers. Some professionsactually require minimum hours of


education and training in order to maintaincertification. Nurses, civil engineers,lawyers and law arbitrators must meet aminimum number of hours of continuingeducation so as to stay licensed. Oftenemployers will pay part if not all of the costof ongoing professional development. Analternate form of lifelong learning isthrough joint union-management trainingprograms, negotiated in the collectiveagreement. Employers will also sometimesdesign and provide their own coursesintended to equip employees with skillsparticularly pertinent for increasedorganizational success.

The knowledge economy provides manyopportunities for individuals who are ableto obtain a high-quality education.Unfortunately not all schoolingexperiences are equal. There are definitediscrepancies in both access to, and qualityof, education between and withincountries. It is important for governmentsto recognise the need to provide propereducation to all children. Futuregenerations are showing a decreasedinterest in crucial fields including math,computer science and engineering. In orderto ensure an appropriately prepared futureworkforce, these subjects should perhapsbe emphasized in school. Instruction ofpractical work skills from a young age mayalso be important. Early experiences withteamwork, leadership and timemanagement are vital for success in aknowledge economy.

While the knowledge economy values andcalls for skills and learning, there are issuesof over-education in the workforce. In theUnited States, between 11% and 40% ofwhite males actually have more educationthan is required for their jobs. Comparably,in the U.K., a study published in the 1980sfound 38% of graduates to be overeducatedfor their first job (Dolton & Vignoles, 2000).Master’s graduates tend to be more proneto over qualification/over-education than

other graduates. Over-education rates dovary significantly by major field of studyfor college and bachelor’s graduates butnot for master’s graduates (Frenette, 2004).A study of the British labor market foundthat both over-education and skill-underutilisation are associated with wageloss and are related to mismatch in thelabor market (Green, McIntosh & Vignoles,2002). The impacts of over-education canbe costly to individuals and firms as wellas the overall economy (McGuiness, 2006)

Immigrants often encounter barriers inentering knowledge-based industries.There are frequently debates about theequality of education between countries.Degrees and certificates in one countrymay not be recognised in another country.Though a worker possesses necessary skillsand schooling, for all intents and purposesthe labor market can treat them as havingno ‘knowledge’. Even within countries,different provinces and states sometimeshave their own licensing requirements thatare non-transferable.

Families also need to be thinking aheadand making certain that youngergenerations are equipping themselves withthe skills they will need down the line.Education can be expensive and demanda serious commitment. Nonetheless, ifknowledge-based industries continue tocontrol a large portion of the economy, theinvestment of both money and time ineducation will be worthwhile and essentialfor employment. Especially as thepopulation ages, older family membersmay be reliant on the younger generationto contribute to family income.

The strength of the knowledge economy isin the capacity to combine the individualabilities, skills and training of eachemployee to create a knowledge-equippedoverall workforce. Employees, therefore,must trust one another and share ideas andwork successfully in groups.


Employees need to have a voice at workso that they are part of the organisationalpolicy making and decision makingprocesses. The traditional form ofemployee voice is a union. As previouslydiscussed, union density rates aredeclining. This phenomenon does notmean that employee voice is necessarilydisappearing. There are now more formsof direct employee voice. Evidencesuggests that voice is actually mosteffective when an amalgam of differentforms exist (Pyman, Cooper & Teicher,2006). On the other hand, some literaturehas found that non-union forms ofemployee representation are deficient intwo areas - power and autonomy (Butler,2005). When managers are responsive toemployee voice, there tends to be superiorlabor productivity. This relationship ispresent in non-union workplaces but thereis little relationship between formal voiceregime and productivity (Bryson,Charlwood & Forth, 2006).

This outline of the emergent knowledge-based economy briefly summarises theimpact of the new economy on workers andemployers. Skills, training and experienceare the tools of today’s workers. Education,in the form of formal schooling as well asthe learning of practical skills (i.e.leadership, communication and team work)and a lifelong continuance of learning, isnecessary for finding a job and remainingemployed in this economy. Unfortunately,education is not equal for all individuals andthe repercussions can be severe. Whileunder-education hinders one’s ability tofind a good job, over-education is also aproblem that needs to be addressed. In orderfor organisations to be knowledge-basedand to fully utilise knowledge workers, theymust implement knowledge-based systemsand create a work environment that allowsfor employee voice and a trustingatmosphere for the flow of knowledgethroughout the organisation.

Job Creation

For the large majority of families, paidwork is the primary and often sole, sourceof income. Without jobs people do not getpaid and do not have a means ofsupporting themselves and their familymembers. An availability of jobs and anability to gain employment in one of thosejobs is crucial in order for families tosurvive. Somewhat surprisingly, the issueof job creation has historically taken a backseat on the list of governmental issues toattend to.

The employment rate of 54.6%, forCanadian students between May andAugust of 2007, is the highest it has beensince 1991. At 12.9%, the averageunemployment rate for those aged 15-24is also at the lowest rate since 1990. Anotherpositive outcome for Canadian workers isreflected in the figures on wage rates.Canadians made 4.0% more per hour inAugust of 2007 than they did a year beforein August of 2006. As far as layoff rates areconcerned, permanent rates did not risesubstantially from the 1980s to the 1990s.Permanent layoff rates were 5.9% forCanadians in 1989 compared to 5.7% in1999 (Morissette, 2004). Though permanentrates on the whole did not advanceupward, men aged 55 to 64 and womenaged 35 to 44 did see an increase in layoffs.Permanent layoff rates also rose in largefirms, though not in smaller companies(Morissette).

According to the United States Bureauof Labor Statistics, the nationalunemployment rate in the U.S. as of August2007 is 4.6%. This unemployment ratecan be translated into roughly7,097,000 unemployed Americans. Theunemployment rate for the 16-19 agegroup is 16.9%.

The Bush administration has been criticisedfor its failure to generate new jobs.According to the Democratic Policy


Committee, in 2005 2.8 millionmanufacturing jobs had been lost andemployment in the manufacturing sectorwas at the lowest point in 50 years.Approximately 43% of individuals who lostmanufacturing jobs during 2001-2004 didnot find full time replacement jobs (Kochan,2005). U.S. multinational companiesreduced their U.S. workforce by 2.1% in 2003while employment at their foreign affiliatesoverseas increased by 1.2% (DemocraticPolicy Committee, 2005).

Branching beyond North America,unemployment rates in Europe havechanged in the past half-century. For thefirst half of the post war period, Europeanunemployment rates were low at around2-3% (compared to U.S. rates around 5%)and there was a high growth of averageincome. Once the oil shock hit in the 1970s,European unemployment rose andcontinued to increase steadily in thefollowing years. By 1994 more than 11% ofthe European labor force was unemployed(Contini, Filippi, Lioni & Revelli, 1995). InCroatia, employment protection legislationis very strict. As a result, hiring tends to belimited and the average job tenure is long.Consequently, an accumulation ofunemployment arises and new labormarket entrants are unable to findemployment. Due to the job protectionlegislation that is in place, wages aregenerally quite high which likely deters thecreation of new jobs in existing firms aswell as the entry of new firms into theCroatian labor market (Rutkowski, 2003).

Other issues related to the quality of jobsare wage gaps and temporary versuspermanent employment. In the last twodecades the wage gap between youngworkers and older counterparts has risensubstantially in Canada. At the same time,the wage gap between universitygraduates and other workers has notsignificantly changed (Morissette &Johnson, 2005).

Another concern that has been previouslytouched upon is offshoring. In thepreceding section on the knowledge-basedeconomy, an implication was that havingan education is the key to getting a job.Being educated certainly increases chancesof finding quality employment, yet someknowledge workers today are concernedfor their job security.

Despite the daunting atmospheresurrounding offshoring, data on the actualimpact that offshoring is having on thelabor market are somewhat mixed. A 2007study found that there was little correlationbetween offshoring and the evolution ofemployment and layoff rates in Canada.The authors suggest that if offshoring hasimpacted Canadian employment andworker displacement, the effect has beenmodest and is unlikely to be detected(Morissette & Johnson, 2007). Offshoringto high-income countries is the largest formof overall offshoring and does not seem tosignificantly impact the composition of thelabor market in Sweden. Swedishoffshoring to low-income countries,however, does shift labor demand awayfrom workers with an intermediate levelof education (Ekholm & Hakkala, 2005).

Most families are dependent on the labormarket and need to be employed. Ofcourse, job quantity is not the only concern.Job quality is an issue that young workersmust think about. Particularly in an erawhen more and more people aresimultaneously working and juggling afamily, striking a work-life balance is ofteneasier when work is satisfying.

It is important for families to think aheadto the employment opportunities of thefuture, both in terms of the availability andthe quality of jobs. Pressure must remainon governments to promote job creationand high work standards. Employees needto be given a voice at work in order toencourage employers to further job


construction as well as to implementpolicies for improving job satisfaction.Good jobs must be the rule rather than theexception.

In order to survive, working families needto be able to find employment. Not onlymust there be a great enough number ofjobs but these jobs should also be ofsubstantial quality. The creation of jobs isan important issue for governments. Theunemployment rates in Europe havechanged quite a bit in the past few decadesand vary throughout the continent. Rateshave hovered around 6% in Canada andbetween 4-5% in the U.S. over the past fewyears. One strategy for fightingunemployment has been to offer tax cuts.Unfortunately, these cuts have generallybenefited high-income families as opposedto low and middle-income families whowould be more likely to spend the extramoney. Another possible solution involvesproviding tax credits to employers forcreating jobs and investing in educationand training. Unemployment has alsorecently taken a new turn with theintroduction of offshoring, wherebyorganisations choose to find cheaper laboroverseas. To ensure the security of futuregenerations, attention needs to be devotedto the creation of high-quality jobs.

Findings from Previous Research onWork-Family Balance

In order for employees to communicate toemployers the need for work-familypolicies in the workplace, they must havea voice at work. Interestingly, unions arenegatively associated with the availabilityof flexible work schedules and the optionto work from home. They do, however,increase the availability of parental leave,special paid leave and job-sharing options(Ponzellini, 2006). Union rates are steadilydeclining however and other forms ofemployee voice are emerging.

As unions wane, some countries are notingan increase in direct employeeinvolvement. Findings suggest that theperception of managerial responsiveness isbetter among employees with nonunionvoice than those belonging to a union(Bryson, 2004). Generally, it seems thatemployee voice tends to be most effectivewhen a combination of different forms ispresent (Pyman, Cooper, Teicher &Holland, 2006). A greater depth andbreadth of employee involvement andparticipation are correlated with betterorganisational commitment and jobsatisfaction. Essentially, when employeeshave a voice at work they tend to be moresatisfied, likely due in part to the fact thatany work-life balance concerns they havecan be expressed and hopefully addressed.

Research has looked at the relationshipbetween family-friendly workenvironments and various outcomes ofinterest including turnover, absenteeism,job satisfaction and organisationalcommitment. Employees who felt thattheir supervisors were supportive of theirattempts to coordinate work and familydemands reported several positiveoutcomes. Not only did these employeesfeel less work/family conflict but they alsoreported reduced turnover, burnout, andabsenteeism, and increased organisationalcommitment (Carlson & Perrewe, 1999;Ray & Miller, 1994; Thomas & Ganster,1995; Warren & Johnson, 1995). Along withsupervisor support, work/family cultureis strongly related to work/family conflictand is a prerequisite to the successfulutilisation of other family-friendly benefits(Allen, 2001; Flye et al., 2003). Thedefinition of work/family culture is acollective perception by members of anorganisation that it “supports and valuesthe integration of employee’s work andfamily lives” (Thompson et al., 1999).Furthermore, Canadians place a highervalue on quality of life than a high standardof living (Graves & Jenkins, 2004).


While many companies have strived tocreate a workplace that encourages awork/family balance, there is still muchwork to be done. There are also significantdiscrepancies in the amount of family-friendly policies in place in organizationsthroughout the world. A recent reportfound that the highest proportion oforganizations with flexible workingarrangements in Europe are in Latvia,Sweden, Finland and the United Kingdom(Riedmann et al. 2006). There are alsonotable discrepancies in the amount ofmaternity leave offered between WesternEuropean countries. The range is from 96weeks in Sweden to as little as 14 weeks inGermany (Mercer 2006). Swedishcompanies also tend to be ‘father friendly’in that they provide family leave benefitsfor fathers (Haas & Hwang, 1995). On thewhole it seems that there is a significantamount of flexible working across Europeand that pattern is continuing to increase.

Flexible work schedules and othervariations on the traditional work day/work week are also present in Canada. In2001, 1 in 3 Canadian workers reportedflexible work schedules (Lowe, 2005). In a2002 Public Service Employee Surveycreated for the Canadian federalgovernment, 19% of employees reportedworking a compressed workweek, 33%worked in flexible schedules, 5%teleworked and 2% job-shared (Lowe).Despite the trend of variable workschedules, supposedly aimed at makingthings easier for workers, employees oftenstill feel strained.

As a result of long work hours and theadditional demands of familyresponsibilities, stress in the workforce isdisturbingly common. Stress can haveserious repercussions not only for theindividual but also for the organisation inwhich they are employed. Job stress hasbeen linked to both health and productivityin several studies. The mental and physical

effects of stress may result in health plancosts, disability costs, lower morale, greaterabsenteeism and, in turn, a loss ofproductivity. A 2007 study of New Zealandemployees showed that when employeesperceived that employers were providingwork-life assistance, job satisfactionincreased and work pressure decreased.Consequently, there was a net reduction inleaving intention (Forsyth & Polzer-debruyne, 2007). Additional organisationalbenefits that have been associated withwork-life balance policies include lowerturnover rates, reduced recruitment costsand greater employee commitment (Eckler& Kofman, 2006).

Unfortunately, even when employers doestablish work/family programs andpolicies, access can be unevenlydistributed. Being female, non-Caucasianand less educated reduces the probabilityof a flexible work schedule. Being incollege, married, self-employed, workingpart-time, working fifty plus hours a weekand being in certain occupations increasesthe probability of having a flexible workschedule (Golden, 2001). Professional,technical and managerial employees tendto have more access to work/familypolicies. In the United States, employeesin financial services and health care havemore assistance with child or elder care andhave more paid maternity and paternityleave than workers in other industries(Lowe, 2005). Employers are also morelikely to offer family-friendly policies toemployees in whom they have investedtraining and/or other resources (Gray,2003). Unequal access to family-friendlypolicies between employees within acompany may partly explain thediscrepancies between employer andemployee responses about the prevalenceof family-friendly policies or practices(Lowe, 2005).

In their 2006 paper, Budd and Mumforddraw attention to the difference between


availability and perceived accessibility offamily-friendly policies. While programsaimed at making family-friendly workpolicies available in an organisation areimportant, they are not the entire picture.In order for these policies to actuallyimprove work/life balance, employeesmust be aware that they are available tothem and also decide to actually use them.It seems that a significant number ofworkers in organisations with family-friendly policies, do not perceive thesepolicies to be accessible (Budd &Mumford). In fact, the employees most inneed of such policies tend to be the leastlikely to perceive access to them (i.e. singlemothers in low-wage jobs) while theemployees least in need of the policies aremost likely to perceive access to them (i.e.middle-aged, high-income men).Evidently, government initiatives toencourage employers to adopt family-friendly work policies are not sufficient.There needs to be a system in placeensuring that all employees are aware ofthe programs available to them and areequally able to take advantage of themwithout any fear of repercussions.

Not only is access to family-friendlypolicies sometimes unequal but also theoutcomes of such programs are not alwaysuniform and can even be negative.Although flexible hours and other family-friendly policies are generally desirable inthe eyes of employees, they can sometimeshave negative effects. People on a flexiblework schedule are at times perceived ashaving less career dedication and lessadvancement motivation than those notworking a flexible schedule (Rogier &Padgett, 2004). One study also foundthat participating in a flexible workarrangement evoked more pessimisticpredictions on dimensions includingthe likelihood of being promoted and thedesirability of the job (Cohen & Single,2001).

All in all, the majority of workers inindustrial democracies seem to be quitecontent with their jobs, particularlywomen, the self-employed, the young andthe old (as opposed to the middle-aged),supervisors and those with secure jobs(Blanchflower & Oswald, 1999). Jobsatisfaction is the key to maintaining work-life balance. Unfortunately job satisfactionis slowly decreasing in the United States.In 1999, satisfaction was highest in Irelandand lowest in the Mediterranean nations(Blanchflower & Oswald). In a more recentstudy of European countries, the lowestlevel of perceived job instability was foundin Denmark at 9% while the highest levelof perceived job instability was found inSpain at 63%. This study also found thatjob instability increases with age and earlierunemployment experience. Job instabilitydecreases with increasing education level(Bockerman, 2004).

The Role of Employers

According to a survey by the KoreaChamber of Commerce and Industry in2006, 61.2% of companies identified work-life balance as a means of improving workperformance and corporate value. Thevarious reasons given included:enhancement of productivity due to highsatisfaction of the employees (60.8%) andstability of manpower usage due to areduction of the rate of changingoccupation (26.1%). Three companies outof 4 said they would actively practicework-life balance policies such as father’smaternity leave (35.4%), flexible workinghours (15.4%) and half day holiday (14.6%).59.8% of small and medium-sized firmsand 65.2% of large companies surveyedsaid that work life balance helps theoutcome and success of their business. Thereason that work life balance helps toimprove the outcome of a business is thatproductivity rises because of highemployee satisfaction (60.8%), thepossibility of stable manpower usage due


to a decrease of transferring jobs (26.1%),and improved sales due to better corporateimage (5.6%).

The system that Korean companies mainlyuse for work life balance are father’smaternity leave, flexible working hours,half day holiday, concentrated workinghours and staggered working hours, andthe introduction ratios are 35.4%, 15.4%,14.6%,10.4%, 6.6%, respectively.

Among those 35.4% of companies whichintroduced father’s Maternity leave, 29.7%were small and medium-sized companiesand 51.5% were large firms. The period ofleave granted is one day for 57.1%, twodays for 20.2% and three days for 17.8% ofcompanies, which shows that companiesoffering less than three days of father’smaternity leave account for 95.1% of therespondents. As for the response rate ofemployees to work life balance, cafeteriaplan benefits were marked 4.6 out of 5,which is the highest mark, and followedby half day holiday and then staggeredworking hours.

Concerning the reason that companies didnot adopt these flexible working hoursprograms, 44.6% of respondents said they‘did not fit the company’s managementpolicy’, 26.0% said ‘not many employeesare applicable to the program’ and 12.4%said ‘manpower management gets moredifficult’. Meanwhile 40.6% (the highestscore) of respondents said ‘not manyemployees are applicable to the program’as the reason for not introducing a familysupport program such as ‘child careholiday’. This response was followed by‘did not fit for the company’s managementpolicy and strategy’ at 27.4% and‘manpower management gets moredifficult’ at 14.2%.

Case : Samsung SDS (Flexible workarrangement)

Samsung SDS, which was founded asSamsung Data System Corporation in 1985,

secured the strategic cooperation ofMicrosoft, and has grown to a one TrillionKorean won worth of sales in 1999, a firstin the SI industry. In this process, it won‘Asian Make’ of ‘the most respectedknowledge management businessmanprize’ in 2002, and was nominated in thetop 16th companies listed as ‘the mostrespected Korean industry’ by KMAC in2005. The corporate culture of SamsungSDS which cherishes a man of ability as themost precious resource lies in thebackground of these events. The contentsof the program of work life balanceconducted by Samsung SDS are as follows.

First of all, Samsung SDS runs a system ofshortened work hours and flexible workinghours. They adjusted the punch in and outhours after a discussion with the chiefs ofdepartments, and institutionalised asystem of a half-day leave of absence permonth and of the possibility of workingfrom home to overcome the problems ofspace confinement in the work place. 30minutes of paid nursing hours is allowedtwice a day, and the nursing facilities areinstalled for employees in which to nursetheir children. Equipment for lactation, andrefrigerators are installed in the nursingrooms to support breast-feeding, and thereis a space for pregnant women and nursingmothers to rest in. Other companies havealso taken up this idea and run in-housenurseries. A compatible support system isrun for the work-life balance organisationculture to assist female employees with dayto day tasks such as childcare. Thecommunity (SDSWomen.com) was openedin March 2002 for female employees to seekconsultation and advice and currently20000 members are registered there.

Interview with Siemens Korea HR teammanager

Q1. Joseph Milelinger (the new CEO)presented three core managementkeywords of ‘constant development’,


‘innovation of technology’ and‘management of a man of ability’, andI am especially interested in how‘management of a man of ability’among these materialised, whatconcrete policies were implementedand what outcomes you obtained.

A1. We have executed a ‘LeadershipExcellence Program’ 2-3 years ago,and pursue constant growth throughmanagement of a man of ability byconcentrating on scouting, fosteringand innovating of a man of ability. Wemanage the talent centering onoutcome of business as amanagement of a man of ability toobtain concrete outcomes, and assessone’s ability in diverse categories, forexample, research skill,communication skill and analysisskill. These personal skills arecategorised to develop the capacitiesof the talented individuals. Eventhough it is an outcome-centeredmanagement, we do not fireunsatisfactory employees, but givethem a chance of display their ability2-3 times.

Q2. As for the reward system for ideas inyour company (Siemens), I want toknow how much this system can beapplied to the condition of Korea, andwhat is the effect?

A2. This system is well-utilised in thehead office, but has not yet beenintroduced in Korea. However it isunder investigation to introducesooner or later to the department ofsupersonic waves and R&D.

Q3. I would like to know what kind ofwork-life balance is practiced inGermany where the head office ofSiemens is located; for example, thespecific policies, changes after thepractice was introduced and itsoutcomes.

A3. We do practice the program of work-life balance in the head office inGermany, but unfortunately, I don’tknow much about it.

Q4. I am interested in how the work-lifebalance policies that are practiced inGermany are applied in Korea. I canimagine that the same policies can bedifficult to apply in Korea because ofthe cultural differences. How then arethese policies applied in Korea, andwhat kind of changes and outcomeswere obtained after the applying suchpolicies.

A4. Siemens in Korea follows the mainframe of work-life balance programin the same way, for example the basictool to assess. However, a concreteprogram is executed by mixing withKorean culture. To point out WLB ofSiemens Korea, there is ‘Family Day’and ‘Sports Day’ that is practicedacross the whole departments onceevery two years and ‘Year-end party’that invites all the staff at the end ofthe year. These are the uniqueprograms held only in Korea. OnFamily Day, employees’ children andparents are invited and enjoy diversegames and entertainment events in anoffsite location, and it unifies thedivided departments and alsocontributes to improving employeeloyalty. At Family Days, not only highranking managers but also the CEOtake the initiative in the event, andsurveys shows the level of satisfactionamong the participating employees isvery high. ‘Sports Day’ is an athleticmeeting of the whole staff, and it alsoplays a big role of strengtheningsolidarity between employees andraising attachment to and pride intheir company. In addition, eachdepartment goes on a picnic. Concretecosts cannot be revealed, but sixfigure cost is used every year in these


kinds of events. These events are heldon weekdays not on weekends so asnot to disturb the employees personaltime on weekends. Apart from it,there are in-house clubs of soccer andmountain-climbing for personalhobby activities, and also rooms torest inside of the company are offered.

The Childcare holiday system is providedas per institutional regulations, andmaternity leave and childcare leave can beused at the same time. They can rest forabout a year when it is used at the sametime, and can rest over a year when it isused separately. A certain percentage ofemployees’ salary is given to them duringthis leave of absence. Our Childcareholiday system may sound similar to thosesystems of domestic leading companies,but there is a difference in that it can beused as a natural exercise of right withoutconsidering atmosphere of their work. Theschool expenses of the employees’ childrenare fully supported (Not a loan) touniversity, but there is a limit in the case ofkindergarten and nursery school.

Other Countries

In order to manage the issues surroundingwork and family, employers have to makechanges to their organisational structure,including adopting family-friendly policies.Family-friendly policies include flexiblework arrangements, such as working fromhome, job sharing and variable work hours;family/medical leaves; dependent careassistance; childcare services; andcounseling services. There are variousgroups and organisations aimed at bringingto light the need for community, cross-firmand public initiatives to deal with workingfamily issues. An organisation’s reputationas a family friendly workplace is becomingincreasingly important as a tool forattracting and retaining employees.

For example, the British Columbia Ministryof Children and Family Development has

launched a website, Worklife B.C., torecognize B.C. employers who havedeveloped family-supportive workplaces.The site also quotes a survey that showsthat the top career goal of people born after1978 is to obtain balance between theirprofessional and personal life. Annualawards are even given out to employers.The editors of Canada’s Top 100 Employersorganise an annual competition toidentify Canada’s top 10 family-friendlyemployers. Results are published inToday’s Parent magazine and online. In2007, the Catholic Children’s Aid Societyof Toronto was voted number one.Recognition as a family-friendly employershould be an objective of employers if theyhope to attract the large population ofworkers who are also family members.

Particularly as a result of the shift to aknowledge economy, employers must beable to retain human capital. If employersin the knowledge-based industries trulyvalue knowledge as a resource and a sourceof capital, they may have to think in thelonger-term interests of their organisationand reorganise their definition of labor. Inorder to keep knowledge workersemployed in North America, workers andthe skills they possess must be seen as acalculated asset rather than envisioninglabor simply as a cost to be controlled(Kochan, 2005).

Organisations wishing to thrive in aknowledge economy should considersupporting life-long learning by paying foremployee education and trainingprograms. With technology advancing sorapidly, it is important for organisationalsuccess to keep employees informed. In theinterest of ensuring a supply of qualifiedworkers for the future workforce, offeringprograms to encourage employees’children’s education would be forwardthinking. In order to be a truly knowledge-based organisation, employers need to gobeyond providing education and training


to their employees. Firms need to buildknowledge-based work systems (Kochan,2005). Trust is essential for such a system.Employees need to be constantlynetworking, meaning working in teams tocombine their various skills andknowledge. In turn, management must puttrust in employees and give them decision-making authority and the freedom to workunconstrained.

As organisations are trying to promote aflexible workforce and workplace,employees need to be involved andlistened to. In order to have a trueemployee voice, workers need to beprovided with information. Employeesshould be aware of what is going on withinthe organization and should have a wayof working with management toimplement necessary changes. It is notuncommon for employees to get togetherin groups to discuss organizational issuesand problem solve as a team. This is abeneficial process for both employees andemployers. Employees have practical anddirect experience every day with issuesrelated to their job. They may actually comeup with more useful solutions and ideasthan management who is not always awareof exactly what is going on at lower levels.In turn, if employees see that managementis willing to listen to them and actuallyimplement some of their ideas, they willlikely feel more commitment anddedication to the employer.

There are undoubtedly costs associatedwith implementing family-friendlypolicies. Benefits like on-site childcare costmoney in terms of building a facility andpaying staff. Flexible work schedules andworking from home can createorganizational difficulties and schedulingproblems for managers. All in all, however,a wealth of data and common sensesuggest that the benefits of focusing onwork/family balance outweigh the costs.In fact, estimates of the annual Canadian

direct costs of absenteeism due to work/family conflict are in the range of $3 billionto $5 billion. If indirect costs are included,costs could reach $10 billion (Lowe, 2005).

The Role of Government and PublicPolicy

The job creation policy under thisgovernment emphasises that thegovernment should focus its efforts tobuild a good environment for industry,stabilise the labor market on the basis ofcooperation between unions and business,and dramatically improve the industrialenvironment for investment andmanagement. As for the concrete policies,three detailed tasks are proposed such asstrengthening competitiveness in serviceindustries, strengthening competitivenessof existing industries and securing the basisof further growth.

Concerning strengthening the competitivepower of service industries, tasks arepresented such as the planneddevelopment of both the manufacturingindustry and service industry by nurturingbusiness support on a broad scale,knowledge-based services, social services,culture industries, tourism and leisure tomeet an increase in leisure time due to the5-day workweek. In addition, concerningthe strengthening of the competitive powerof existing industries, the maininfrastructure industries such aselectronics, semiconductor and automotivewill maintain their existing job creatingabilities through the development of newtechnologies and by supporting thenurturing and training of their employees.Further actions include expanding SOCinvestment, reducing distribution costs,balancing regional development andstabilizing residences along withimproving the ability to start newbusinesses such as by reducing the periodof consent required to establish a businessproject. Finally, the effort to attract foreign


investment and expand investment in localindustry will be reinforced to securecontinuous growth power, and an effortwill be made to create work by creatingspecial zones for development and regionalindustrial clusters.

In order to actively engage in those tasks,it was necessary to create jobs through jobsharing and the expansion of jobs in thesocial and welfare areas. Concerning jobsharing, the trend of shortening workinghours was presented as a means by whichnew positions could be created. Subsidiesare granted when small and medium-sizedcompanies introduce 5-day workweeksand employ additional workers, andconsultation services are offered to firmsthat innovate by reorganising shift-worksystems while support is provided for anyadditional costs incurred in introducingthese innovations. When it comes to fillingjob openings, employment in small andmedium-sized firms need to be madeattractive through improvement ofworking environment and providing amotivation for work. Workingenvironments will be improved throughclean business, dissolution of dutyavoiding factors and a subsidy forimproving the employment environment.Preferential schemes for small andmedium-sized companies will beconsidered such as prior distribution of ahouse, studying and training home andabroad and expansion of training support.Lastly concerning creating work in a socialand welfare fields, benefits for vulnerableclasses will be increased and social jobsoffering social service necessary for peoplewill be increased. Social jobs are jobscreated by offering low marketable socialservices combining with public sector andprivate resources. At the same time,temporary work is offered by graduallyextending self-support work such as homeimprovement and nursing for vulnerableclasses’. This will help to meet the increase

in demand that is expected in this area inthe future. An improvement of thestructure of the labor market is needed forthe labor market to function smoothlyalong with an expansion of job creatingpower and the development of additionaltypes of work. The government haspresented policies that detail the tasksrequired to expand the labor marketinfrastructure and to strengthen thevarious functions for nurturing the existingwork force. As for the expansion ofinfrastructure of the labor market,employment support centers will bereformed into general centers in differentregional areas, and suitable employmentmeasures will be established for eachregion, and general employment servicelinked to related local organizations willbe offered. An integrated informationsystem will be established that will offerintegrated information on private andpublic labor markets that will meet thedistinct needs of information users moreconcretely. A mid and long term laborsupply and demand forecasting systemwill be established through a survey onindustrial and occupational employmentstructures and through the development ofclassified manpower supply and demandforecasting models. Along with this, aneffort to improve systems will be continuedto supplement and develop the draft of thesocial Convention for job creation, to securethe flexibility and safety of the labormarket, and to advance labor andmanagement relations. Work forcenurturing systems will be provided to copewith the changes in industrial structure,and a sound idea of work for teenagers willbe established by strengthening guides foruse at school to determine possible futureoccupations. Universities will haveincreased numbers of courses to meetindustrial demands. Public traininginstitutions will concentrate on training thenational infrastructure industries, andprivate training institutions will focus on


training new technology and knowledgeservices.

There is a process that the governmentfollows to target areas of job creation. Theprocess uses a “Job Creation GeneralMeasurement” which is divided into 4fields, 13 tasks and 97 measures. Theprocess is overseen by the Ministry ofFinance and the Ministry of Labor. After areview of the measures, the FinanceMinistry, in charge of economy andindustry policies and the Ministry of Labor,in charge of employment and Welfarepolicies submit their respective reports tothe Tripartite Commission twice a year. Toexpand job creation ability, the first phaseof building a R&D general managementsystem has been completed, and theconstruction of a high-tech informationtechnology complex (2005-2007) has beencompleted. An information technologycluster in Songdo U-City is beingpromoted. Regional industry clusters arealso being formed, with 371 new businessenterprises with 4,555 employees as ofJune, 2006. The policy fosters technicalskills in the workplace to develop a highlyprofessional work force by strengtheningby building relations between industry andacademia, by building trainingconsortiums between a parent companyand collaborating firms, and by nurturinginnovative small and medium-sizedcompanies. As of June, 2006, 4,456innovative small and medium-sizedcompanies were founded, and it isexpected that more than ten thousandcompanies will have been founded by 2008.The fund for knowledge-based serviceindustries and new technology industriesamounts to US$2 billion, and as of 2006, 52firms have been granted US$5,549 million.Thirty-eight thousand Firms areparticipating in the training consortium ofsmall and medium-sized companies as oflate October, 2006. The principal aims ofthe policy are to leverage industrial

investment for economic growth, to attractforeign investment in special regionalzones designated for development, and tocreate jobs through regional industryclusters. In addition, to create a positiveenvironment for industry, the focus will beon tax reform such as reduction ofcorporate tax, supporting high-technologyresearch and education, easing regulationsand stabilization of union-managementrelations. In particular, a policy to givegrants was introduced for high-techindustry and R&D centers that are newlybuilt and expanded, and that hiretechnicians. As of June, 2006, 17 specialregional zones were designated, and aninvestment of US$200 million was inputinto Daegu, Busan, Gwangju, and SouthGyeongsang Provinces for regionalpromotion of business after formingregional industry clusters in 2004.

Creating additional jobs, job-sharing, fillingin openings and creating jobs in welfarefields are presented as main strategic tasks.The task of job-sharing was propelledforwards by supporting industries thatintroduced innovations such as a shiftworking system and shortened workinghours. A consulting service is offered to thecompanies that introduce reforms to theirshift working system, and additionalexpenses are provided through a ‘subsidyfor converting shift working systems’. The‘New Paradigm Center’ was established asan organisation annexed to the LaborInstitute in 2004 to expand the conversionof shift working systems of ‘Yuhan-Kimberly’ and create a model thatintensified training and consultationassistance beginning with 13 companies in2004, then 49 companies in 2005 up to 76companies in 2006. The outcome was that65 companies expanding their shift workingsystems in the first half of the year andemployed 6,600 additional workers.

To create additional jobs, the ‘subsidy forconverting shift working system’ was


introduced and promoted in October, 2004.It has supported 1,800,000 Koreans foradditional employment of one quarter ayear when there is an increase ofemployment through a reform of shiftworking system. It was expanded bysupporting 37 companies with US$6.2million in 2005, and with US$27.7 millionto 144 companies by November, 2006. Theconsulting outcome of ‘New ParadigmCenter’ also increased from 13 companiesin 2004 to 49 companies in 2005, andconsulting was provided to 76 companiesin 2006. A ‘Subsidy for shortening workinghours of small and medium-sizedcompany’ was introduced in March, 2004.Under this scheme, US$1,800 of labor costsis being supported per worker per quarterwhen small and medium-sized companyincrease employment. Under this scheme,US$12.1 million was used to support 7,245workers in 2005, and US$14.5 millionsupported 8,242 people by November,2006. Another program, ‘Part time TF’ wasrun with industry, union and managementgroup, and women’s associations for thedevelopment of a high quality model ofshort time work based on job sharing. Sincethe expansion of job sharing jobs requiresagreement between union andmanagement, there was an attempt todiscuss it in a joint forum such as theTripartite Commission. In regard to fillingin openings in small and medium-sizedcompany, another program, ‘Subsidy forsmall and medium-sized companies toutilise professional workers’ was createdin October, 2004, in which a part of thewage is supported for businesses that hirenew professional workers. In 2005, US$9.2million was granted to 3,147 people, andas of November, 2006, another US$36.4million was granted to support 12,470people. The system of ‘Subsidy forimproving employment environment ofsmall and medium-sized company’ wasintroduced in October, 2004 to installequipment and facilities necessary for

improving environment of employment,and a part of the cost and wages aresupported when they increase netemployment. Under this program,US$3.2million was spent in 2005, andUS$7.3million was used as of November,2006. In terms of creating jobs in the socialand welfare sectors, US$7.3 million wassecured in the ‘Supplementary budget bull’in 2003. This program started as ademonstration project of the Ministry ofLabor, and it is deemed an importantproject for job measurement in which eightministries and offices participated. In 2006,this program spent US$303.9 million oncreating new jobs in the social andwelfare sector.

The Ministry of Labor established the‘Policy team for Social Service work’ inMarch, 2006, to promote the task of creating‘Social jobs’ systematically andsuccessfully, and undertook a project toprovide 6 thousand social jobs by investingUS$51.7million in 2006. As of October,2006, the Ministry spent US$32.7million tocreate 7,924 jobs. ‘Innovative methods ofNational employment supporting system’was implemented in April, 2005, toimprove national employment servicesystems so that high quality employmentservices could be provided to job seekers.Most importantly, an IAP (IndividualAction Plan) system was introduced in2006 to support the reemployment of thosewho were receiving unemploymentbenefits. It provides services to job seekersin finding employment through effectivejob-hunting methods. This service isnecessary for supporting employment afterconsultation between job seekers andconsultants who counsel the job seekers.The Ministry of Labor unified varioustypes of training in the employmentsupport centers to provide a betterconnection between employment supportand training. In March, 2006, the KoreaEmployment Information Service (KEIS),


an independent institute, strengthened itsthree core abilities: ‘Development ofresearch programs into occupations guide’,‘Analysis of Employment Information’ and‘Monitoring and evaluation ofEmployment supporting systems’. TheKEIS is to be promoted as a key center ofnational employment information.

Since the 1990s, the government haspromoted diverse policies that can makework and life compatible. First, thegovernment expanded the budget forchildcare on a wide scale to dramaticallyreduce the burden of childcare even to themiddle class, and improved publicchildcare facilities, and expanded thesupport for private childcare facilities. TheMinistry of Labor set up public workchildcare facilities in small and medium-sized companies and self-employed smallbusiness areas where work childcarefacilities are usually hard to find. Theyalleviated the burden of workers’ childcareby offering various types of childcareservice to meet the needs of employeessuch as infant care, nighttime extensioncare, holiday care and after school care. TheMinistry raised the “free support” fundnecessary for companies to establish workchildcare facilities from $135,000 to$250,000 in 2006, and furnished funds forestablishing work childcare facilities up to$500,000 per company.

Tax benefits were expanded in the case ofestablishing work childcare facilities in2004, and up to 7 percent of the acquisitioncosts could be deducted from an annualincome tax and a corporation tax in thesame year as the acquisition was made tohelp promote the establishment of workchildcare facilities. A work childcaresupport center was established in Busan in2004 to provide consulting and assistancefor firms that wanted to setup childcarefacilities, and to help with the operation ofany work childcare facilities by developingand replenishing a childcare consultation

program for establishing and operatingprivate firms’ work childcare facilities.

Workplaces eligible for work childcarefacilities expanded in 2006 fromworkplaces with over 300 regular femaleemployees to those with between 300 and500 regular female employees. The scale ofhousing lots subject to childcare facilitieswas also expanded from over 500households to over 300 households. Inaddition the decision was made to helpwith the expansion of childcare facilities byeasing the establishment standard to makeit possible that work childcare facilitiescould be established in an apartmenthouse, a multiple dwelling house, homeunit, public hall or detached house.

Experience in Other Countries

Individuals’ daily lives are affected by thefederal government’s tax cuts and deficitsthrough cutbacks in child-care and familyservices, public safety and education. In theface of these issues, employees areexpressing concern about passingeconomic and community problems on tofuture generations. The government playsa critical role in promoting work-familybalance and ensuring that public policy isin place to meet the needs of workingfamilies. An important issue for families isbeing able to find employment in order toearn an income and survive.

One way in which governments havetried to remedy the problem ofunemployment is by offering tax cuts. Theobjective was for people to pay fewer taxesand therefore have more money, whichthey would spend, thus increasing theneed for goods and consequently the needfor labor. Unfortunately, those who benefitthe most from tax cuts are generallyhigher income families. These familiesare more likely to save than spendsubstantial portions of their tax cuts(Kochan, 2005). Ideally, tax cuts shouldtarget low and middle-income families


who would be more likely to actuallyspend the money.

Another suggestion for governments, putforth by Kochan, involves providing taxcredits to employers for investing inhuman capital. Sometimes companies aregiven tax credit for investing in physicalcapital or research and development. Ifgovernments are willing to provide taxcredits for those investments, why notreward employers for job creation oreducation and training investments?

Governments need to work withemployers, who need to work withemployees, to ensure that effective family-friendly policies are in place. The Britishgovernment has taken on a multi-facetedapproach to create family-friendly workenvironments including the NationalChildcare Strategy, extended paternity andpaternity entitlements, minimum wage, theNew Deal for Lone Parents, the WorkingFamilies Tax Credit and the Work-LifeBalance Campaign (Budd & Mumford,2006).

All in all, real steps need to be made increating a government agenda aimed atassisting the working family. There shouldbe no such thing as ‘working poor’.Minimum wages should be such thatanyone working full time is able to sustaina decent standard of living. Paid leave,childcare provisions, fair benefits packagesand real employee voice are all issues thatthe government should perhaps be lookingat making mandatory in the workplace.

Looking Ahead: Policies for the Future

The workforce of today is markedlydifferent from the workforce of pastdecades. As such, it is important thatgovernment policies and employment lawsreflect the current economy and labor force.The prototypical worker of pastgenerations, held a full-time permanent jobwith one company for his or her (though

only in recent decades have women reallyentered full-swing into the workforce)career. As has been previously discussed,people today tend to be much more mobile.It has somewhat become the norm forpeople to work for several differentorganisations throughout their workinglives. Workers are becoming less tied to asingle firm as there is an increase in self-employment, contract work, temporarywork, mid-life career changes oreducational endeavors and relocation toother provinces, states and even countries.

The necessity of portable benefits is not theonly item that should be on thegovernmental agenda. As this report hasrepeatedly stated, work/family balance isone of the major issues for the workforce.

With more and more employees changingjobs and working in temporary andcontract positions, benefits must beportable so that the individual is no longertied to one firm. In addition to simplyproviding family-friendly work policies,organizations need to ensure that theavailability of these programs is uniformfor all employees. Finally, as has beenpreviously mentioned, employees mustfight for a voice at work. The impetus is onworking families to stand up for theirrights to be an integral part of theorganisations in which they work and tohave their opinions heard.

This report has raised the issues ofincreasing worker satisfaction at home andat work and raising the bar on the qualityof life in general for all Koreans. Theevidence presented from other countriesdemonstrates very clearly that a betterbalance for Korean workers between workand family is not just a humanitarianconcern. It is also intricately linked todevelopment of the labor force and theensuing productivity. If these issues gounaddressed, it is likely that in the long-run such neglect will have serious adverse


effects on the prosperity and sustainabilityof Korean society.

All partners in the economic enterpriseneed to make adjustments to fully achievethe human resource potential of thecountry. To this end, workers, employers,the government and non-governmentalorganisations all need to tune their agendastowards the following initiatives.Specifically:

1. There is a need to reduce workinghours. This can be done through variouspolicy initiatives, both public andprivate. Government can legislate alower cap on working hours. Privatesector firms can begin reducing hoursas “best practice” in the industry. Theevidence from other OECD countriessuggests that as working time reduces,within a range, productivity tends to goup. If managed right, there is goodreason to believe that as Koreansworkers reduce their hours,productivity will rise. This would allowworkers a higher standard of living.

2. There is also a pressing need to betterregulate non-regular employment. Inmany instances employers prefer non-regular employment because theseworkers cost less than regular workers.The lower cost of non-regular workersstems from the fact that employers donot always provide the same pay orsimilar benefits to non-regularemployees. This is a form ofdiscrimination against non-regularworkers. Two workers performing thesame task should be paid the sameirrespective of their employment status.If employers need to hire part-time,temporary or contract workers to meetbusiness needs, they should have theright to do so. However, they should notbe allowed to discriminate against non-regular workers in terms of pay orbenefits. Governments need to remove

the financial incentive for employers toreplace regular workers with non-regular workers.

3. There is a need to promote the status ofwomen both at home and at work.Employers and governments need tojoin hands to make it easy for womento strike a balance between home andwork. The current situation is veryunfriendly to a woman’s need tocombine home and work demands.Reducing working hours is a good start.However, the efforts cannot stop there.Employers need to introduce morefamily-friendly policies mentionedearlier in this report. Governments needto create services such as day-care andquality schools. In the absence of suchservices, it appears that many Koreanwomen choose not to have children orto have fewer children. In the long-runa low birth rate hurts the futureprosperity of the country.

It is possible to change the course of Korea’sfuture labor force and by extension, thecourse of Korean economy and society.Current trends of low birth-rate, highaccidents, low productivity and long hoursare not inevitable. The example of othercountries shows that there are effectivesolutions to these problems. At the core ofa turnaround policy is a reduction in hoursof work in a way that would allow Koreanworkers a better balance between homeand work. If government and employerswere to adopt certain family-friendlypolicies it would not only result in happierworkers but also lay the foundation forsolving several other systemic problemssuch as low birth rates, low productivity,high accident rates, better engagement ofwomen in the work force and the overalldevelopment of Korea’s work force. Whatis needed from both government andbusiness is a vision, and the leadership toachieve that vision, of a prosperous andsustainable society.


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Blanchflower, D.G., & Oswald, A.J. (1999). “Well-being, insecurity and the decline of American job satisfaction”. Working paper, EconomicsDepartment, University of Warwick. http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/fac/soc/economics/staff/faculty/oswald/.

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Bryson, A. (2004). “Managerial responsiveness to union and nonunion worker voice in Britain”. Industrial Relations, 43 (1), 213–241.

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Budd, J.W., & Mumford, K.A. (2006). “Family-friendly work practices in Britain: availability and perceived accessibility”. Human ResourceManagement, 45 (1), 23-42.

Carlson, D. S. & Perrew, P. L. (1999). “The role of social support in the stressor-strain relationship: An examination of work-familyconflict.” Journal of Management, New York.Vol. 25, Iss. 4; pg. 513.

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WORK-LIFE BALANCE PRACTICES IN INDIANORGANISATIONS: CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS

Rupashree Baral and S. Bhargava

Abstract

Based on literature review and an empirical study, paper highlights the status of Work-Life

Balance Practices (WLBPs) in Indian organisations. Findings suggest that Indian

organisations have started realizing that WLBPs are crucial for organisational performance.

While, applications of statuary practices such as maternity/paternity leaves are common

across most of the organisations, discretionary practices such as flexi-time vary in their scope.

The paper identifies challenges for effectiveness of WLBPs and discusses the prospects.

Recommendations are put forth to facilitate employers to see employees’ work-life balance as a

core strategic issue in corporate landscape and take constructive steps to make it a reality.

About the Authors

S. Bharagava, Ph.D., is a Professor of Organisational Behavior andHuman Resource Management at the Shailesh J. Mehta School ofManagement, IIT, Bombay. He has got wide experience in teaching,research and consultancy that include Talent Management,Entrepreneurship, Strategic Leadership, Work-Life Balance, andEmployee-Employer Relations. He has many internationaland national journal publications to his credit and has alsopublished 3 books. He can be reached at

[email protected].

Rupashree Baral is currently pursuing her Ph.D. in HumanResource Management in Shaliesh J. Mehta School ofManagement, IIT Bombay. Her research interests includeWork-Family Dynamics, Work-Life Balance Policies, EmployeeWell-being Issues and Strategic Human Resource Management.She can be reached at [email protected].

Contemporary demographic changessuch as increasing number of women inthe workforce, dual career and nuclearfamilies have generated an urgentneed of employees to balance work andnon-work life. Changes in the markets,ways of working, and labour marketconditions have put tremendous pressureon all organisations to stay competitive andconsequently, organisations have putincreasing pressure on their employees

to deliver the best. It is now acceptedthat internally motivated people givetheir best and are also more productivethan their counterparts. A healthybalance between work and non-worklife keeps an individual motivatedand engaged. Hence, maintaining abalance between work and non-worklife is crucial and matter of strategicconcern to the employers as well asemployees.


Work-life Balance: A Strategic Issue

In response to the demographic shifts,market changes, talent attrition andchanging needs and demands ofemployees, organisations are applyingemployee-friendly strategies for attainingsuperior performance. Today,organisations are forced to look beyondmundane human resources (HR)interventions and execute initiatives suchas flexible working hours, alternative workarrangements, leave policies in lieu offamily care responsibilities and employeeassistance programs. These initiatives arereferred to as ‘family-friendly policies’ or‘work-life balance practices’ (WLBPs) inliterature (Grover and Crooker, 1995;Kopelman, Prottas, Thompson andJahn, 2006).

What are Work-life Balance Practices?

WLBPs are those institutionalised,structural and procedural arrangements aswell as formal and informal practices thatenable individuals to easily manage theconflicting worlds of work and family lives(Osterman, 1995). Some common statutorypolicies are maternity benefits anddiscretionary policies are flexi-time,telecommuting and job sharing. Employeeassistance programmes like counseling andstress management also fall under WLBPs(Perry-Smith and Blum, 2000). All these canbe classified under policies, benefits andservices. Policies cover the formal andinformal ways that employees’ work andleave schedules are handled, includingpart-time work, job-sharing, flexi-time, andparental/family leave. Benefits cover formsof compensation that protect against lossof earnings, payment of medical expensesand vacation or all of these. Servicesinclude on-site or near-site childcarecenters, counseling and eldercareprograms. Today, WLBPs have become anintegral part of high commitment worksystems (Osterman, 1995) and not merely

a response to address increasing problemsincluding stress, absenteeism and turnoverwhich have emerged due to increasedpercentage of women in the workforce(Lambert, 2000). The trend shows growingrecognition for the need to support not onlythose with visible family needs andresponsibilities (working mothers) but allemployees at different stages of life, whoexperience work-life stress regardless oftheir family status.

Benefits of Work-life Balance Practices

Research findings show that WLBPs helpemployees manage their work and familybetter (Thomas and Ganster, 1995) andenhance their attitudes and behaviors suchas organisational attachment (Grover andCrooker, 1995), job satisfaction (Kossek andOzeki, 1998) and intention to stay (Lobeland Kossek, 1996). Availability of WLBPsreduces employee absenteeism (Dex andScheibl, 1999) and enhances organisation’sproductivity (Sands and Harper, 2007).These practices are increasingly beingconsidered as strategic, innovative, crucialand progressive (Perry-Smith and Blum,2000) worldwide. However, there is lesserevidence of the status and impact of thesepractices in Indian organisations (Poster,2005; Wang, Lawler, Shi, Walumbwa &Piao, 2008)

Work-life Balance Practices in IndianOrganisations

As a part of an ongoing project on WLBPsand organisational performance (Bhargavaand Baral, 2009), Baral (2009) conducted asystematic study to examine the scope andcoverage of work-life balance practices insome of the leading organisations in India.Based on review of literature, empiricalstudy and analyses of reports of newspaper articles, it was observed thatorganisations in India have to do muchmore than what they are doing at presentto treat WLBPs as strategic aspect of


organisational performance. Organisationsdo offer many benefits and policies fromflexible work arrangements to stressmanagement programs in the name ofwork-life balance activities. However, thesepolicies and practices many a times are notintegral parts of their policy handbooksand vary extensively in terms of theirscope. In knowledge centric organisationslike IT and ITES sectors, where womenworkforce participation is relatively higher,statutory policies such as maternity leaveand benefits are common, while practicessuch as flexi-time, work from home andpart-time work are still sporadic, sincethese practices are discretionary in nature.

Commonly offered statutory benefitsacross most organisations are leave planssuch as maternity and paternity leaveswith/without pay. Flexible workarrangements such as flexi-time, part-timework and telecommuting are yet to becomestrategic interventions in organisations,though these practices are prevalent in ITorganisations to some extent. Health andLife Insurance coverage andreimbursement of medical expenses foremployees and their families although areincluded as a part of compensationpackage, their scope and extent varysignificantly from organisation toorganisation. Stress managementworkshops and training programs onwork-life balance are being conducted byorganisations as a part of welfareprovisions but are not regular practices inmost of the organisations.

Comparative analysis of the responses ofsenior HR managers and employees ofeach organisation on the availability ofWLBPs showed remarkable difference intheir responses. It was found that although,organisations had quite a few work-lifebalance initiatives their employees did notperceive so. This finding suggests that HRmanagers have to put extra efforts toproperly and effectively communicate

about the availability of various WLBPs intheir respective organisations to theiremployees.

Prospects for Indian Organisations

Comparing with the past, today, one cansee a noticeable difference in Indianorganisations’ vision, philosophy,leadership styles and people oriented HRinterventions. Consequently, Indianorganisations have started getting respectglobally. HR practitioners are striving toexperiment the existing policies andexploring other innovative policies,schemes and interventions to motivate andinvolve large number of employees.However, managing employee work-lifebalance has still not become a core strategicfacet of people management practices inIndian organisations, which have thecompetitive advantage in terms of youngtalents in comparison to the West. Thisdemands attention of policy makers to tapavailable talent for superior performance.

A careful scrutiny of the literature oncompensation and reward managementclearly shows that our salary structure andreward system are at par with other highperforming organisations across the globe.But, most of the incentives, schemes,rewards, and facilities are crafted aroundjobs and organisations. This is because ofthe assumption that people can and willbe motivated if their performance isrecognised and they looked after byorganisations.

Contemporary challenges emerging fromservices organisations such as BPOs havemade 24/7 working hours a reality. It hasalso put tremendous pressure on HRprofessionals to rethink their approach forutilising the talent of such people withoutcompromising on their non-work relatedcommitments. Increasing number ofwomen in the workforce and increase indual career couples have put immensepressure on working couples to juggle


between work and family responsibilitieswhile being productive at work. Suchtrends have made work-life balance apertinent strategic issue to be seriously andurgently considered by employers in Indiato attract and retain talent. Consideringorganisation as an open system, one has toconsider external influences on thesystem’s functioning and therefore,assumption of employers that work andfamily are two separate spheres needscorrection. There is evidence that work andfamily are no longer two separate roledomains rather are interdependent andhave positive influence on each other(Greenhaus and Powell, 2006).

In a research study (Baral, 2009) on 730managerial employees from variousorganisations in India, it is clearly foundthat family significantly contributes towork in terms of enhancing performanceand positive emotions at the workplace.The findings indicate that one of theimportant determinants of work-lifebalance is availability of WLBPs. When anorganisation offers its employees policies,practices, benefits and services to helpthem integrate their work and familyresponsibilities, they feel committed to theorganisation and indulge themselves inorganisational citizenship behaviors.

It is time to acknowledge and realise thatWLBPs are of value to all, which attractprospective employees and are tools foremployee retention and motivation(Galinsky, Friedman and Hernandez,1991). One should also keep in mind thatnew generation employees evaluate theircareer progress not only in terms oflucrative job assignments but also in termsof their ability to maintain healthy balancebetween their work and non-work life.

Challenges to Effectiveness of Work-lifeBalance Practices

Organisations and policy makers need tounderstand the key challenges before

introducing new WLBPs or implementingexisting ones.

• Unsupportive organisational culture isthe major impediment for theeffectiveness of WLBPs (Thompson,Beauvais and Lyness, 199). Managerialor supervisory support is one of themajor components of organisationalculture that facilitates integration ofemployee work-life balance. Employeeswill avail WLBPs when they perceivetheir supervisor as supportive of theirwork-family integration efforts.Employers, co-workers or colleaguesmay perceive that those who availWLBPs such as flexi-time or leave forfamily reasons are not committed totheir work and this perception maysignificantly influence their careerprogression. Implicit or explicit timedemands at the work place or normsconcerning the number of hours, whichemployees are supposed to devote towork or work-related activities, are alsoimpediments to utilisation of WLBPs.Hence, offering of WLBPs should besupported by supportive organisationalculture that values integration of workand family.

• Organisations that assert work-lifebalance issue as typical woman’s issueactually forget to accommodate theneeds of fathers or singles with elder-care responsibilities. In practice, WLBPsrevolve around facilitating workingconditions of women only because mostmen do not utilise them because ofcompetitive business environmentpressures and family as well as societalvalues which emphasise on men’scareer and bread earner role.

• Many work-life balance programsfrequently glitter without substance.Efforts must be taken to understand theneeds of employees and design theprograms accordingly. In India, people


consider work as a source of earningand social status and they putconsiderable hours at work and effortsto succeed in their career as well as toprove themselves at the workplace.Simultaneously, they consider family asthe social institution that provides notonly emotional support but stands withthem in crisis. Most Indians valuefamily ties and work hard to providebetter living to their family members.The meaning of family is not confinedto spouse, parents and children. Peoplestill feel that they are part of extendedfamilies. Hence, ignorance to employeespecific needs may hinder theeffectiveness of WLBPs.

• Interviews with HR executives furtherrevealed that the nature of job anddifficulty in cost benefit analysis of suchpractices are the major reasons behindlimited implementation of WLBPs suchas flexible work arrangements.Preventing employees to misuse theprovisions such as flexi-time is also oneof the concerns raised by them.

Conclusions and Recommendations

It can be concluded that techno-economicand socio-demographic changes havemade it crucial to consider work-lifebalance as a strategic concern for HRmanagers to recruit, engage and retaintalented employees. Lack of well designedevaluative studies on WLBPs in Indiancontext and inclusion of only feworganisations in our research certainly limitus to provide a concrete state of WLBPs inIndia. However, effort to understand thestatus and scope of WLBPs in India is in aposition to provide some directions to HRprofessionals in India to review their

present policies and practices towardswork-life balance and redesign themaccordingly.

Organisations should note that they willbenefit only when they will espouseemployees’ needs for work-life balance andeffectively apply WLBPs. Work-life balancemust be supported by top managementand encouraged at all levels of theorganisation. Organisational culture mustbe developed in such a way that employeesmaking efforts to have healthy work-lifebalance will not be looked down upon.Only then in true sense will work-lifebalance gain strategic recognition in India.Recent developments in the strategic HRpractices across organisations in Indiasuggest some developments towardswork-life integration. Balancing work andnon-work life is going to remain as one ofthe employee needs in the foreseeablefuture. Hence, organisations shouldcontinue to look for innovative ways tocater to this need in order to retain the keyemployees. Work-family integrationshould not be seen as a parenting ordependent care issue only. Organisationshave to broaden their policies and practicesto support employees’ participation inmany life roles and even personaldevelopments to make work-life balance areality in Indian corporate landscape.To make WLBPs successful, utmostcare should be taken from theirintroduction to implementation. Thoughthe growth of WLBPs in India has not beencommendable, HR mangers in our studywere found to be extremely positive aboutits future. They asserted that very soon,WLBPs will become a distinct part oforganisations’ HR policy and corporatestrategy and will have positive impact onbusiness performance.

ReferencesBaral, R. 2009. Examining Antecedents of Work-Family Enrichment and its Effect on Individual, Family and Organisational Outcomes.

Unpublished Doctoral Dissertation, IIT Bombay.


Bhargava, S. and Baral, R. 2009. Work-life Balance Practices in India. Working Paper, IIT Bombay.

Dex, S. and Scheibl, F. 1999. Business Performance and Family-Friendly Policies, Journal of General Management, 24, 22-37.

Galinsky, E., Friedman, D.E and Hernandez, C. 1991. The Corporate Reference Guide to Work-Family Programmes. Families andWork Institute: New York.

Greenhaus, J.H. and Powell, G.N. 2006. When work and family are allies: A theory of work-family enrichment, Academy of ManagementReview, 31(1), 72-92.

Grover, S.L. and Crooker, K.J. 1995. Who appreciates family-responsive human resource policies, The impact of family–friendly policieson the organisational attachment of parents and non-parents, Personnel Psychology, 48, 271-288.

Kopelman, R.E.; Prottas, D.J.; Thompson, C.A. and Jahn, E.W. 2006. A multilevel examination of work-life practices, Is more alwaysbetter? Journal of Managerial Issues, 18, 232-253.

Kossek, E.E. and Ozeki, C. 1998. Work-family conflict, policies, and the job-life satisfaction relationship, A review and directions fororganisational behavior-human resources research, Journal of Applied Psychology, 83, 139-149.

Lambert, S.J. 2000. Added Benefits, The Link between Work-Life Benefits and Organisational Citizenship Behavior, Academy ofManagement Journal, 43, 801-815.

Lobel, S.A. and Kossek, E.E. 1996. Human resource strategies to support diversity in work and personal lifestyles, Beyond the “familyfriendly” organisation, in, Kossek, E.E. and Lobel, S.A., (ed.), Managing diversity, Human resource strategies for transforming theworkplace (pp. 221–243), Blackwell, Cambridge, MA.

Osterman, P. 1995. Work/family programmes and the employment relationship, Administrative Science Quarterly, 40, 681-700.

Perry-Smith, J.E. and Blum, T.C. 2000. Work-family human resource bundles and perceived organisational performance, Academy ofManagement Journal 43, 1107-1117.

Poster, W.R. 2005. Three reasons for a transnational approach to work-life policy. In E.E. Kossek & S.J. Lambert (Eds.).Work and LifeIntegration: Organisational, Cultural, and Individual Perspectives: 375-400. London: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Sands, J. and Harper, T.L. 2007. Family-Friendly Benefits and Organisational Performance, Business Renaissance Quarterly,2, 107-126.

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Thompson, C.A., Beauvais, L.L. and Lyness, K.S. 1999. When work-family benefits are not enough: The influence of work-familyculture on benefit utilization, organisational attachment, and work-family conflict. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 54(3), 392-415.

Wang, P. Lawler, J.J, Shi. K., Walumbwa.F., & Piao, M. 2008. Family-friendly employment practices: Importance and effects in India,Kenya, and China Advances in International Management, 21, 235-265.


WORK-LIFE BALANCE: CAUSES, CONSEQUENCESAND INTERVENTIONS

ANUP KUMAR SINGH and RICHA AWASTHY

Abstract

There has been a growing interest among both academics and practitioners in the

issue of work-life balance (WLB) across the world. This article discusses different

causes and consequences of WLB. It argues that today WLB is not just a concern of

certain groups of people but all people. The major causes responsible for WLB are

societal, organisational and individual in nature. Societal drivers play an important role

in creating variations in WLB. They include factors like Government, family structure,

societal values, occupation, career, etc. Organisational drivers regulate the behaviour

of people, thus creating structures and choices for WLB. They consist of

organisational values, HR policies and WLB practices. Finally, individual drivers are

the major factors of WLB for people. Individual values, needs, work centrality,

workholism, type A personality, sex, and marital status are some of the important

individual drivers. Poor WLB is often manifested in a range of physical and

psychological strains in an individual. Further, it is conducive to low productivity,

quality, employee retention and employee engagement in the organisational context.

There are also several negative societal consequences of poor WLB. Finally, the

paper suggests various organisational and individual level interventions to strike a

balance work and life.

About the Authors

Anup Kumar Singh, Ph.D. and Richa Awasthy,Ph.D. are from International ManagementInstitute, New Delhi


Work provides meaning to life. It alsoprovides livelihood. However, life is notjust meant for work alone. Its purpose andfunctionalities are much wider in scope.People work for life but they do not livefor work alone. The relationship betweenwork and life has acquired a salient placein the modern society where people areambivalent about their work and lifevalues. This article examines the variouscauses and consequences of work lifebalance (WLB) and proposes individualand organisational interventions toenhance the balance so that there is asymbiotic relationship between work andlife and managers can lead a fulfilling life.

Introduction

During many training sessions one of theauthors undertakes an ‘obituary exercise’and asks the participants to imaginethemselves dead and narrate how theywould like to be seen by others after theirdeath. Most of the participants state thatthey would like to be seen as ‘helpful,‘always available’, ‘social’, ‘understanding’and most importantly ‘family person’.Only a few affirm adjectives related to theirwork life. Here lies one of the biggestparadoxes of modern life. People wouldideally like to emphasise both family andlife but they willy nilly end up spendingmore time and energy in work-relatedactivities. Most people live their entire lifewith the belief that when they will achievecertain things, they will be happy and willbe able to live their true self. However, atevery milestone they look forward to thenext milestone. In this process of reachingnew and ambitious milestones, theysomehow forget their own self. In themodern world, people are on a treadmilland find it difficult to achieve WLB.

The issue of WLB has become pertinent forboth men and women. The participationof women in the labour force has beenaccelerating and the family structure is in

the process of shifting from joint to nuclearfamily structure. Furthermore, there isevidence that generational values differ(Smola & Sutton, 2002) and young peopletoday emphasise the achievement of work/life balance more than their previousgeneration. If this is the case, thenorganisations need to understand how anyperceived ‘imbalance’ or conflict betweenwork and non-work domains arises and bywhat means it might be alleviated if theyare to motivate and retain their youngeremployees.

The worklifebalance.com defines WLB asunder:

“Your best individual work-life balancewill vary over time, often on a daily basis,and there is no perfect, one-size fits all,balance you should be striving for. The bestwork-life balance is different for each of usbecause we all have different priorities anddifferent lives. WLB is Meaningful dailyAchievement and Enjoyment in each of myfour life quadrants: Work, Family, Friendsand Self. ”

WLB thus is a dynamic phenomenon. It isnot a structure but a process. It is alsoindividual-based by nature, although thereare several common issues across differenttypes of people. The life component ofWLB includes family, friends and self. WLBis not then just a concern of people withfamily but of all people. A man does notlive by work alone but also by self, familyand friends. Leisure and social interactionare as much important as work and career.An effective manager has to continuouslyjuggle around with the different prioritiesand needs of the four domains of work andlife.

The Need

Multiple roles performed by individuals callfor better integration between work andnon-work issues. Jobs are no more ‘cushy/easy going’; they are very demanding.


Similarly, individuals cannot be effective atwork if they are not able to manage theirpersonal lives. Finding time for socialisationis no more a social obligation, but also a realstress buster. There is evidence to show thatthe activities outside work positivelyinfluence the productivity and creativepotential of employees. It has been foundthat WLB is not only a source of concern,but also that it was the major source ofdissatisfaction for many employees. Theproblem of WLB is clearly linked withwithdrawal behaviour, including turnoverand non-genuine sick absence (Hughes &Bozionelos, 2007).

In the rapidly changing businessenvironment, time pressures seem everincreasing and new technology allowswork to be conducted any time andanywhere. These are two of the factors thatmake it harder for working men andwomen to integrate work and life. Due tocompetition, employers have become verydemanding. For example, Public Sectorbanks are experiencing competition fromprivate and foreign banks and theiremployees are working harder to ensurethat customers are satisfied. They arelearning new skills and technology tocompete with private players. Employeesare also becoming more demanding fromtheir employers. They want more time,resources, and support from theiremployers to enrich their home life.

In the knowledge economy, service jobs areon increase. Certain jobs are quitedemanding such as BPOs, Airlines,hospitals, stock trading, etc. Theyadversely impact the fulfilment ofindividual needs. Employees feel highlystressed to manage both ends. Theaforesaid reasons result in the loss of talentpool for the organisation. However, in thecurrent competitive and complexenvironment, employees are the majorsource of competitive advantage. It hasbeen found that satisfied customers create

satisfied customers (Yavas et al., 2003).Despite this recognition, long workinghours is common among manyorganisations (Spinks, 2004). Manyorganisations lack employee friendlypractices. A few organisations have thembut generally they are woven intoorganisational culture.

Causes of work-life balance

As WLB is a critical issue for men andwomen in the modern society, an in-depthunderstanding of the issue is not onlydesirable but also necessary. We propose amodel of causes and consequences of WLB(refer model 1). There are a host of driversresponsible for WLB. They are societal,organisational and individual in nature.Societal drivers play an important role increating variations in WLB. Organisationaldrivers regulate the behaviour of people,thus creating structures and choices forWLB. Finally, individual drivers are majorfactors of WLB for people.

Societal drivers: As the agrarian society isgiving way to the industrial andknowledge societies, there are major shiftsin societal forms and structures. This shiftis a major reason behind conflict betweenwork and life activities. In the past, it wasbelieved that the optimal familyfunctioning occurs when the husbandspecialises in work, while the wife isresponsible for domestic chores. Genderroles are rigidly defined. WLB was atfamily unit level rather than at individuallevel. More recently, societal perceptionshave changed and it deems appropriate forboth men and women to pursue paidemployment outside of the home and alsoshare responsibilities within the home(Barnett & Hyde, 2001). However, the rolespill over of male into domestic andnurturing roles is limited. This problem ismore acute in a collectivist, maledominated society like, India where theboundaries between work and family have


been well-defined. The Indian family hastraditionally granted a favoured status tomen as a chief breadwinner (Awasthy &Gupta, 2001). Men are responsible forworking outside family whereas womenare homemakers. The centuries oldtraditional gender roles are changing now.Due to the recognition of women’s highlevel of education, the necessity of doubleincome and women’s increased wish forautonomy and social recognition, theemployment rate of women has increasedworldwide. Few decades back, womenwere restricted to professions whereachieving WLB was not a problem, suchas teaching. There is a shift in theperception and choices made by womenthese days.

With the rapid changes in societalstructures and forms, men and womenexperience greater role conflict, overloadand ambiguity. The situation is morecomplex for dual working couple inmetros. The shift has also loaded theburden of raring children all by themselves.WLB is not crucial for only marriedindividuals or nuclear family with orwithout children. Single parents may havegreater difficulty in balancing work withchildren. Consequently, WLB is criticallyimportant for working women to sustaintheir mental health.

There is migration of large rural populationto urban centres. At the same time, urbanlife is becoming more taxing and stressful.

Societal drivers • Government regulations • Societal values • Family • Occupation • Career • Gender roles

Organisational drivers • Organizational values • HR policies • WLB practices

Individual drivers • Values • Needs • Work centrality • Workholism •Type A personality • Sex, Marital status

Work life balance

Societal consequences • Family dynamics • Social pathology • Harmony

Organisational consequences • Productivity • Quality • Employee retention • Employee engagement

Individual consequences • Physical and psychological illness • Burnout • Self-esteem • Relationships • Creativity

Model 1: Certain causes and consequences of work life balance


People today experience lack of time andbalance between professional requirementsand personal needs. Middle class isexperiencing unprecedented prosperity.Middle class people are faced with aheightened degree of value conflictbetween money and life style. Mostly theyfind it quite difficult to resolve thisdilemma.

Government can play very important rolein determining quality of life for its peopleby promulgating various labour laws. Forinstance, the western Europeangovernments have promulgated severalpolicies to help their citizens to strike abalance between work and life. On theother hand, government regulations areless strict in the United States. Of late, theGovernment of India has also promulgatedlaws to facilitate the different aspects ofWLB. Equally important is monitoring andsurveillance of such laws by the relevantgovernment agencies. A case in point is thatIndian laws do not allow women workersto work in night shift in mining andmanufacturing organisations. However,some organisations, especially inthe service sector, employ women innight shift.

Occupation can be a major source of WLB.Different occupations vary in their stresslevel. For example, the jobs of police officer,aeroplane pilot, construction worker,doctor, advertising executive, salesmanager, etc. are highly stressful. On theother hand, the jobs of teacher, governmentofficer, HR manager, clerk in government,etc. are less stressful. Thus, occupationalchoice by people entails WLB for them.

Organisational drivers: Employee-orientedorganisations that uphold the philosophythat organisational effectiveness will behigh if employees’ WLB is well achievedfollow a host of practices to facilitate WLB.Most of the MNCs from Scandinavian andwestern countries follow practices to

promote WLB. On the other hand, Koreanand Indian organisations score lower onthe facilitation of WLB.

HR practices play vital role in promotingWLB practices in an organisation. Some oforganisational reasons for experiencingdifficulty in WLB is work load, workinghours, and stress at work. HR practices canbe formulated to ensure that employees donot experience role stress due to overload,role ambiguity, and role conflict byformulating clear roles and jobdescriptions.

Effective organisational design andsystems and processes further facilitateWLB. Progressive organisations develop avariety of WLB practices, such as flexi time,no meetings after core working hours,forced annual leave, maternity andpaternity leave, shopping at work, crèche,disincentives to overtime, gym and goodfood facility, no late sitting culture, andso on.

Individual drivers: Life philosophy is a majordeterminer of WLB. All of us have lifephilosophy that affects WLB. However, itis generally implicit and people do notarticulate it succinctly. The life philosophycan focus either on being or becoming or abalance between the two. Being isconcerned with human endeavour for self-actualisation, contentedness, harmony, andenjoying what one is. On the other hand,becoming is related to material achievement,money, power, and social status, etc.Greater the conflict between being andbecoming within an individual, the lowerWLB.

Personality is a relatively enduring aspectthat significantly affects behaviour. Certainpersonality traits like work centrality,workholism and Type A negatively affectWLB. People who are high on thesepersonality characteristics derive greatersatisfaction from their work and are over-committed to their organisation or


profession than entertainment, pleasureand family obligations. Such individualsderive intrinsic reward out of work. Theyfind balancing work and non-workactivities difficult. In contrast, individualwith high self-efficacy are morecomfortable to integrate work and life.

In an Indian context, among dual careercouple men experience greater stresscompared to their single careercounterparts. Working women are betterable to cope up with multiple rolescompared to men. It seems that dual careerwomen derive self-esteem by performingmultiple roles. Singh and Sahgal (1995)found that overall men with double careerhad maximum level of stress; followed bysingle women with career; followed bywomen with no career and minimum levelof stress was found in the category withmen whose wives were homemakers.Thus, individual drivers are related todemographic variables and social-psychological factors. Most of them arewithin the control of an individual but notall of them.

Age, number of children and dependentsand sex are other crucial determinants ofthe degree of WLB. Research has shownthat women the world over work longerhours than men. Individuals with childrenneed to balance between work and familymore in comparison to people with no kids.Similarly, people need greater flexibilitywhen they have aging parents.

Consequences of work-life balance

Poor WLB is often manifested in a rangeof physical and psychological strains, suchas irritability, depression, anxiety,diminished self-confidence, inability torelax, lack of sleep and increasedsusceptibly to a number of illnesses, anumber of psycho-somatic disorders,burnout, low productivity, high employeeturnover, safety hazards, increase indivorce cases, high blood pressure, ulcer,

migraine and many psychosomaticdisorders. Recently, Kanwar, Singh andKodwani, (in press) found that WLB andjob satisfaction were positively related toeach other. Karatepe and Tekinkus (2006)found that work family conflict increasedemotional exhaustion and decrease jobsatisfaction.

Organisations also suffer owing to poorWLB of their employees. There are directand indirect deleterious consequences. Thedirect consequences are poor productivity,high employee turnover, accidents, etc. Onthe other hand, the indirect consequencesare low involvement, serious interpersonalconflicts at work, apathetic attitudetowards work and so on. Lack of WLBindirectly and negatively affects familydynamics. It results in marital discord,divorce, child abuse and neglect of oldparents. All of these affect societalfunctioning and harmony. Social pathologyand disorganisation also occur when mostpeople in a society lead lop-sided lives.

Interventions for enhancing Work-lifeBalance

WLB is indeed a desirable state forindividuals and organisations. Individualshave primary responsibility for enhancingtheir WLB. As each individual is unique,the direction and degree of WLB differsfrom one individual to another. Peoplevary in their life goals, values, needs, andcareer aspirations. Consequently, they alsofluctuate in the quality and quantity ofWLB. What is a desirable WLB for oneindividual can be totally unacceptable toanother person. Additionally, WLB altersfor the same individual over different lifeand family cycles. As one moves from onelife stage to another, there is a need toreaddress the WLB issues. When thedynamic nature of WLB is not appreciatedby individuals, they suffer and facedeleterious consequences.


People make choices continuously toachieve the desired degree of WLB. Thesechoices can broadly be divided into twocategories: the choice about selecting asituation and the choice about respondingto the situation. Both types of choice areimportant. The first kind of choice isresponsible for the direction of WLB, whilethe second type of choice is conducive tothe management of dynamics of WLB. Thefirst choice has long-term implications,whereas the second choice has short-termbut vital consequences. An individual hasto be aware of both types of choice andmake decisions about WLB and own them.

Generally people are more interested in thesecond kind of choice that is concernedwith the dynamics of WLB. However, therather hard choice related to the directionof WLB is more important. Let us cite anexample to clarify our point. Mahesh hada choice between the job offers of theAssistant Manager from a Public Sectororganisation and a Multi-nationalorganisation. He analysed the pros andcons of both job offers and chose the joboffer from the multi-national organisation.He had inkling that the Public Sectororganisation would provide a better WLBbut it would be financially less attractive.This shows the first type of choice. Maheshdecided about the direction of WLB. Nowhe must own it and be prepared to act onthe dynamics of WLB that emanates froma given situation.

Organisation Level Interventions:Organisations need to identify WLB as amajor constituent of HR policy. They haveto enunciate their WLB philosophy, policyand practices. Each organisation has itscharacteristic WLB demands. Thus,policies and practices may differ from oneorganisation to another. Yet there arecertain common practices conducive toWLB. Some of these practices are: flexitime,partial work at home, no meetings aftercore working hours, no tea/coffee/

Photostat facility after core working hours,telecommuting, child care, elder care,maternity and paternity leave, job sharing,employee assistance programs, in housestore, forced family vacation, etc.

Organisations can develop systematicapproach to implement WLB for theiremployees. They need to benchmark WLBpractices vis-à-vis leading organisations intheir industry and to conduct a WLB audit.This would give them sufficient data toplan various interventions. Once WLBinterventions are implemented, theorganisations should conduct employeeperception surveys to measure theireffectiveness. It would provide them withimportant information about the relativesuccess of various innervations and alsohelp improve them. There has to becontinuous learning about the WLB needsof employees and how to address them.

Individual Level Interventions: As pointedout earlier, poor WLB can adversely affectan individual. Therefore, he has to take upthe challenge and initiate a host of activitiesto balance work with life. The mostimportant step in this direction is to dothorough self-analysis. In other words, hehas to make a choice about the situation.He has to ask a host of questions, like whatis my life vision? What are my needs? Whatwill give me satisfaction? What do I wishto get out of my career? He has to alsoprioritise needs. Then he has to decideabout an occupation. Having made thismajor choice, he has to make a choice aboutresponding to the situation by negotiatinghis roles within family and organisation.He has to also do family analysis. Thefamily structure and aspirations determinethe degree of WLB. For instance, a dualcareer family has to put more effort toachieve WLB in comparison to a singlecareer family. Similarly, greater rolenegotiation will be required in a jointfamily compared to a nuclear family. Afamily with higher financial aspiration


probably have to sacrifice WLB. Thus theinvolvement of family members and roleexchange with them form an importantpart of WLB.

Some people may decide on the basis ofself- and family analysis to choose a lifestyle that stresses the high degree of WLB.Consequently, they also wittingly under-emphasise excellence in certain work areas.They understand trade-offs and acceptboth the positive and negative outcomesof high degree of WLB. Certain dilemmasof WLB cannot be resolved within oneself;hence counselling and seeking helpbecome quite important. Individuals needto seek counselling from seniors, mentors,elderly family members and professionalfamily counsellors to appreciate barriers toWLB in their lives and take charge of WLB.

Conclusion

WLB is one of the most important concernsof people in the modern era. It is affectedby micro, meso and macro drivers. For thatreason, it has to be addressed at these levels.An individual has to resolve internalcompeting needs and demands and set aclear direction for himself. Further, he hasto negotiate roles and expectations withfamily members on the one hand and withorganisational members on the other. WLBis a continuous and dynamic process andthe manager has to be alert to the emergingchallenges of WLB.

Indian organisations find themselves on across-road. Some American multi-nationalorganisations have well-defined WLBpractices and aggressively pursue WLB. Afew public sector organisations have alsoaddressed the challenges of WLB andevolved relevant policies and practices.Nonetheless the WLB lies on the sidelinesof HR policy in the most Indianorganisations. Whatever interventions theyinitiate are more a function of governmentregulation rather than that of proactiveWLB policy and practice. This must

change. If organisations fail to address theWLB issues and concerns of employees,there will be a flight of talented people.Moreover, they will not be able to getoptimum productivity from them. As thepeople factor has emerged as a vital driverof competitiveness in the knowledgeeconomy, the WLB practice can play asignificant role in the engagement,motivation and retention of people.

Although WLB is a multi-facetedphenomenon, it is highly individual-oriented. In the ultimate analysis, the WLBoccurs at individual level and its adverseconsequences are maximum forindividuals who make choices about thedirection and dynamics of WLB. Valuesindeed affect WLB in an important way.Hence value clarification at the individuallevel is desirable to strike a balancebetween work and life.

Value clarification is the process ofdiscovering what is important to anindividual, what does he prefer and whyand to what extent he is willing to pay aprice for it or protect it. To put it differently,value clarification helps people know theirvalues, work and life value and own them.It is important for living with theownership of values and balancing workwith life. Values are preference andimportance that a manager attaches todifferent things in life. They give directionand strength to people to cope withdifficult situations. A manager ought tohave insight into his values. Valueclarification helps him in knowing andowning his values and balancing workand life.

Some organisations offer WLBprogrammes rather than transforming theirway of thinking about the need to helpemployees balance between work andfamily. They indeed vary widely in theirWLB policies and practices. The argumentis backed by Pfeffer and Sutton’s (2000)


one-fourth situation about the “knowingand doing” gap. By one-fourth situation,they meant that roughly half of managersbelieve in the importance of the humanside of enterprise (Including WLB) as asource of competitive advantage. However,only about half of those who believe reallydo something about it. Thus, they statedthat only about one-fourth of managers arefully implementing the high performancework practices (HIWP) that flow from thetheory and research of organisationalbehaviour. This also holds true for WLB.

Managers have to take the challenge ofWLB seriously as it affects their

ReferencesAwasthy, R. and Gupta, R.K. (2001). The balancing Act: how to balance between work and family. Human capital, March: 22-24.

Barnett, R.C. and Hyde, J.S. (2001). Women, men, work, and family. American Psychologist, 56: 781-96.

Hughes, J. and Bozionelos, N. (2007). Work-life balance as source of job dissatisfaction and withdrawal attitudes. Personnel Review,36(1): 145-154.

Kanwar, Y.P.S., Singh, A.K. and Kodwani, A.D. (In press). Work Life Balance and Burnout as predictors of Job Satisfaction in the IT-ITES Industry, Vision.

Karatepe, O.M. and Tekinkus M. (2006). The effects of work-family conflict, emotional exhaustion, and intrinsic motivation on joboutcomes of front-line employees. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 24(3): 173-193.

Pfeffer, J. and Sutton, R.I. (2000). The Knowing-doing Gap, How Smart Companies Turn Knowledge into Action. Harvard BusinessSchool Press, Boston, MA..

Singh, A.K., and Sahgal, P. (1995). Men and women in transition: patterns of stress, strain, and social support. Vikalpa, 20(1): 13-22.

Smola, K.W. and Sutton, C.D. (2002). Generational differences: revisiting generational work values for the new millennium. Journal ofOrganisational Behavior, 23: 363-382.

Spinks, N. (2004). Work life balance achievable goal or pipe dream? The Journal of Quality and participation, Fall, 27: 4-11.

Yuvas, U., Karatepe, O.M., Avci, T. and Tekinkus, M. (2003). Antecedents and outcomes of service recovery performance: an empiricalstudy of frontline employees in Turkish banks. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 21(5): 255-65.

professional success and personal well-being. They also need to hone certainskills that conducive to better WLB.Some of these skills are: time management,delegation, coping with stress, negotiation,caring, listening, empathy, trust, etc. Theseskills are helpful for managing things bothin work and family domains. Finally asthere is no defined degree WLB, eachperson has to decide his own degree ofWLB, own it and act on it. Society andorganisations can play a facilitating role inenhancing WLB; however, it is theindividual who has to take the bull by thehorns and master it.


Introduction

Companies have responded to the evolvingset of issues related to work-life balance byintroducing a wide variety of work-lifebalance practices. While practices varyacross companies, most organisational

initiatives include several major types ofprograms. Most notably, many companiesintroduce flexible work arrangements –programs that allow employees to eitherwork during shorter or different hoursand/or to work from an alternate location

IMPACT OF FLEXI-TIME AS A WORK-LIFE BALANCEPRACTICE ON EMPLOYEE RETENTION

A.R.ARYASRI and S. SUMAN BABU

Abstract

This paper analysis the impact of flexi-time on employee retention as part of awork-life balance practice based on empirical evidence drawn from IT sector. In thissector, companies have responded to the evolving set of issues related to work-lifebalance by introducing a wide variety of work-life balance practices such as on-siteday care; help with day care costs, elder care assistance, information on community

day care, paid parental leave, unpaid parental leave, maternity or paternity leave withreemployment, flexible scheduling etc.

The study shows that when the average flexi-time score increases, the averageemployee retention score also increases proportionately. The study reveals positive

correlation and significant association between employee retention and flexi-time. Thestudy concludes with an observation that flexi-time policy enables organisations to

retain their employees better and particularly in times of recession, such policy provescost effective.

About the Author

Dr. A.RAMACHANDRA ARYASRI, Professor, School ofManagement Studies, Jawaharlal Nehru TechnologicalUniversity (JNTU), Kukatpally, [email protected]

S.SUMAN BABU, Research Fellow, School of ManagementStudies, Jawaharlal Nehru Technological University (JNTU),Kukatpally, Hyderabad-500085. [email protected]


(e.g., flextime, or telecommuting). Thedependents’ assistance programs (e.g.,childcare and eldercare) serve to helpemployees better meet their responsibilitiestowards their dependents.

Most cited work-family policies in work-family literature are on-site day care; helpwith day care costs, elder care assistance,information on community day care, paidparental leave, unpaid parental leave,maternity or paternity leave withre-employment, and flexible scheduling(Perry-Smith et al., 2000). Workplaceflexibility is the ability of workers to makechoices influencing when, where, and forhow long they engage in work-relatedtasks.” (Hill, et al., 2008).

Literature Review:

Both theory and empirical research havesuggested a direct relationship betweenWLB programs and retention (Roehling etal., 2001). What research has not answeredconclusively, however, is whether work-lifebalance itself has a role in this relationship.Rather than helping employees achieve ameaningful balance between work andpersonal life, these programs may onlyhold benefits for the employers rather thanemployees. In light of such arguments andin the context of recent research about thecomplexities of balancing work andpersonal life and the importance of balancefor individuals’ well-being (Friedman &Greenhaus, 2000;), it is necessary toinvestigate whether participation inorganisational WLB programs is related toretention through the positive impact ofthese programs on individual’s perceptionsof balance.

A related issue that is in need ofclarification refers to the nature and broadapplicability of the work-life balanceconstruct. The majority of past researchimplicitly assumes that work-life balanceis only relevant to women and/or membersof families with children (Fredriksen-

Goldsen & Scharlach, 2001). Indeed, mostresearchers have used the term family-friendly HR practices rather than work-lifebalance practices (Perry-Smith & Blum,2000). Although recently the topic ofshifting focus from work-family to work-life balance has been receiving attention inthe popular press (Hayashi, 2001) and atpractitioners’ forums (Conference Board,2001, May), academic research has not yetadequately incorporated the salientproposition that work-life balance issuesare meaningful for all employees,regardless of gender, marital status, orfamily responsibilities.

Relationship between Flexi-Time andRetention

Flexitime is a work-family practice thatallows employees to have flexible start andfinish times, without changing the totalnumber of hours worked, such as astandard 40-hour week in the organisationat the centre of this study. (Jarrod M. Haar,2007). Employee retention is linked toflexitime (Gordon and Whelan, 1998;Sailors and Sylvestre, 1994) Compensation,flexible work schedules and training areimportant tools for retaining employees,employers should not underestimate thepower of benefits package (Terry Mullen,2007). Social exchange theory has beenutilized recently to provide anunderstanding of why work-familypractices like flexitime can lead to positivejob outcomes (Haar and Spell, 2004).Flexible working may alternatively bereferred to as work life balance or work lifeintegration (Smithson and Stokoe, 2005).According to the National Study of theChanging Workforce in 2002, 73% ofemployees with high availability of flexiblework arrangements reported that there wasa high likelihood that they would stay withtheir current employer for the next year.(Bond, Thompson, Galinsky, & Prottas,2002, p. 34). “Women are somewhat morelikely (79%) than men (68%) to use flextime


when it is available” (Galinsky, Bond, &Hill, 2004). “Roughly equal proportions ofyoung women and men in this age group(Generation X) work flexible schedules. Inaddition, 25- to 34-year-old women weremore likely than women of other ages tohave this kind of flexibility in their jobs”(DiNatale & Boraas, 2002,)

Organisations that have adopted flexi-time as a retention tool

Many organizations in IT sectors like IBM,Intel, Accenture, Cummins and HindujaTMT and companies like TATA have triedto adopt many retention tools includinghelping employees achieve healthy work-life balance by providing flexible workpractices and many other initiatives.(Rupashree Baral & Shivganesh Bhargava2006, International conference). The work-life initiatives most highly sought byemployees today are those that allow forwork/life balance. A study at IBM, forexample, found that the ability to balancework and life was a key driver for the topperformers the company was most eagerto retain (Chief Executive, 1999).

IBM India offers its employee’s options likeflexible workweek schedules, workingfrom home, part time employment,dependable child care, family counseling,and leave of absence programs etc. whichcan be labeled as family friendly programs.“IBM is committed to providing employeeswith an attractive and comfortableworking environment to maintain ahealthy and productive lifestyle. Thisinitiative will help employees deal with thedemands of home and family better inthese times of hectic schedules and workpressure. Work/Life balance is a strategicinitiative that helps IBM attract, motivateand retain the very best talent in thetechnology industry.”

Intel India claims to provide work-lifebenefits (synonymously used with family-

friendly policies) to help its employeesmanage work and personal lifecommitments realizing the fact thatmanaging a job and personalresponsibilities is not easy. The range ofoptions includes flexible work schedules,compressed workweeks and alternatework schedules, telecommuting, homeoffice, part-time employment, childcareassistance, resource and referral servicesand health and wellness benefits etc.

Need for the Study

The major factors that contribute to theinterest in work-life balance practices inIndia are

• Higher rates of labour marketparticipation by women.

• The long hours culture.

• Work intensification.

• Working at odd hours.

• New technology.

• Global competition.

• Renewed interest in personal lives/family values; and

• A young workforce.

Research Questions

v Whether flexi-time as a work-lifebalance practice is being adopted by ITorganizations in India and what are itspossible outcomes?

v How flexi-time help organisations toincrease employee retention?

Objectives of the study

v To study existing work-life balancepractices in select IT organizations inHyderabad.

v To study and analyze the influence offlexi time on employee retention.


Hypotheses

After conducting an extensive review ofliterature, the following hypothesispredominantly in the alternate form isdeveloped in line with the researchproblem and objectives.

Ha: There is significant impact of flexi-timeon employee-retention

Scope of the Study

The study is restricted to ten organizationsin IT sector. All the ten organizations aresituated in the same geographical regionof Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India. Dueto constraint of time it was decided toevaluate flexi-time practice and itsretention outcome on the dimensionscommon to all the organizations in the ITsector. The aspects of looking into flexi-timepractice and retention outcomes fromdifferent sectors are beyond the scope ofthe study. The literature review reveals thatthere are very few studies in India whichexplore the impact of flexi-time onemployee retention.

Methodology and Sampling Design

n Period of Study

The primary data was collected from May2008 to October 2008

n Data base

v The study is based on both the primarydata and secondary data.

v Secondary data would be collected fromvarious research journals, books,magazines, websites related to the fieldof the study.

v Primary data was collected byadministering a structuredquestionnaire to the junior level &middle level managers of the samplecompanies.

v A 1-5 point Likert Scale from stronglydisagree to strongly agree has been used

to measure the statements in thequestionnaire

Sampling Techniques and sample sizedescription.

n Ten IT companies are selected on thebasis of non-probability samplingwhich is non-random in nature.

n A total of 300 samples with 30 samples(Asst.Managers, Managers, and Sr.Managers) from each company hadbeen included from the 10 companiesbased on simple random sampling. Thesize of each of the junior level andmiddle level management depends onthe population of respective cadre ofmanagers.

n Managerial personnel from HR,Marketing, Finance, Operations andTechnical functions are included in thestudy.

n Male managerial personnel-72.7%respondents and Female managerialpersonnel 27.3% respondents, Age:25Yrs-above 45Yrs, Married-93.3% andsingle-6.7%, Tenure of working-1 Yr toabove 5 Yrs, working couple-81.3%and single parent working-12%respondents.

n All organisations have employees morethan 500 each.

Statistical Tools

n Descriptive Statistics -Means, Standarddeviation had been used.

n Correlation, Regression & ANOVA willbe used.

n Statistical Package for Services &Solutions (SPSS 17.0) is being usedfor data analysis.

Statistical Analysis and Results

For the question “How important youthink the following work-life balancepractices?” 25.3%-34.7% felt extremely


important to important.11.7% respondentsfelt neutral and 14.3%-14.0% felt somewhatimportant to not at all important.

For the statement, “I would be less likelyto quit a job that allowed flexi time,”25.7%-35.3% respondents felt stronglyagree to agree. 12.7% respondents feltneutral and 12.7%-13.7% respondents feltdisagree to strongly disagree.

Table 1.1:Mean and Standard Deviation Scores of

‘Overall Sample’

Descriptive Statistics

Mean Std. NDeviation

EmployeeRetention 3.12 1.453 300

Flexitime 3.47 1.357 300

Table 1.1 gives the mean and standarddeviation scores for the overall sample of

300 managerial personnel (which includesAssistant Managers, Managers and SeniorManagers). It is interesting to observe thatthe averages of these domains are almostthe same with lesser variation on EmployeeStress Reduction. For Flexitime, thecorresponding range is 1 to 5.

In order to measure the extent of linearrelationship between the average Flexitimescores and the average Employee Retentionscores, Karl Pearson coefficient ofcorrelation is computed; and is tested forsignificance. Table 1.2 reveals that there isa positive correlation between EmployeeRetention and Flexitime (r=0.648, p=0.000),and is found to be statistically highlysignificant. For future research, it may besuggested that Flexitime can be used toestimate Employee Retention. Sincemanagerial personnel from all cadres forthe purpose of work-life balance practicesstudy are included, it reflects theimportance of Flexitime to measureEmployee Retention.

The coefficient of determination R2 = 0.419,p=0.000 highlights that Flexitimecontributes on Employee Retention to a

large extent (Table 1.3). Hence, EmployeeRetention can be estimated from Flexitimescores.

Table 1.2:Correlation between Employee Retention and Flexi time

Correlations

EmployeeRetention Flexitime

Employee Retention Pearson Correlation 1 .648**

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

N 300 300

Flexitime Pearson Correlation .648** 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .000

N 300 300

** Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).


The analysis of variance table (ANOVA)given in Table 1.4 reveals that theregression model fits well for the data(F=215.159, p=0.000).

The regression coefficient and its associatedtest of significance are given in Table 1.5.

Table 1.3:Coefficient of determination between Employee Retention and Flexi time of ‘Overall

Sample’

Model Summary

Model R R Square Adjusted Std. Error ofR Square the Estimate

1 .648a .419 .417 1.109

a. Predictors: (Constant), Flexitime

Model Summary

Change StatisticsModel R Square F Change df1 df2 Sig. F

Change Change1 .419 215.159 1 298 .000

Table 1.4 :ANOVA for ‘Overall Sample’

ANOVAb

Model Sum of Squares df Mean Square F Sig.1 Regression 264.533 1 264.533 215.159 .000a

Residual 366.384 298 1.229Total 630.917 299

a. Predictors: (Constant), Flexitimeb. Dependent Variable: Employee Retention

Table 1.5:Regression Coefficient and its Associated Test of Significance for ‘Overall Sample’

Coefficientsa

Model Unstandardized StandardizedCoefficients Coefficients

B Std. Error Beta t Sig.1 (Constant) .714 .176 4.059 .000

Flexi time .693 .047 .648 14.668 .000

a. Dependent Variable: Employee Retention

The fitted regression model is as follows:

Employee Retention = 0.693 Flexi time +0.714

From the above regression line, we canestimate the average score on Employee


Retention for a given average score on Flexitime. Further, the population regressioncoefficient is different from zero ast=14.668, p=0.000. It signifies that when theaverage Flexi time score increases, theaverage Employee Retention score alsoincreases proportionately. Hence thealternate hypothesis that there is significantimpact of flexi time on employee retentionis accepted.

Limitations

• The results are based on samples drawnfrom ten IT companies, though majorin terms of volume of turnover andemployee headcount and the results ofthe study cannot be generalised. Thestudy is confined to Hyderabad only.

Findings and Conclusion

The findings have key implications to theIT sector. How provision of work-lifebalance practices like flexi time may benefitorganisations by increasing retention rate

where employees can perform to the bestof their potential and also help policymakers to frame welfare measures toemployees. Organisations should integrateflexi-time as a work-life balance practicein core business objectives and should alsouse it as a strategic tool for recruitment andretention of employees.

For effective implementation of flexi timeas a work-life balance practice there shouldbe both management and co-workersupport. Organisations should alsoconsider other practices which willincrease retention of employees.

During this economic downturn or globalrecession organizations should adopt flexitime as a retention tool because it does notadd any cost to the organizations andmoreover it adds many organizationalbenefits to the bottom line like increasedsatisfaction and productivity, reducedstress and decreased absenteeism apartfrom retention of valuable employees.

References

1) Hill, E.J., Grzywacz, J.G., Allen, S., Blanchard, V.L., Matz-Costa, C., Shulkin, S., & Pitt-Catsouphes, M. (2008). Defining andconceptualising workplace flexibility. Community, Work, and Family, 11, 149-163.

2) Terry Mullen.(2007), Achieving an ‘A-Player’ workforce, Life & Health, 111, 32, pg 20.

3) Jarrod M. Haar (2007), Exploring the benefits and use of flexitime: similarities and differences, Qualitative Research in Accounting& Management, Vol.4 No. 1, pp. 69-82.

4) Rupashree Baral & Shivganesh Bhargava (2006), Family-Friendly Policies: Prospects For Indian Organizations, 14th InternationalEmployment Relations Association Conference on “Family-Friendly Employment Policies and Practices: An East-West Perspectiveon Work-Life Balance”, 19-23 June 2006, Hong Kong

5) Smithson, J., Stokoe, E. (2005), “Discourses of work-life balance: negotiating ‘genderblind’ terms in organisations”, Gender Workand Organisation, Vol. 12 No.2, pp.147-68.

6) Galinsky, E., Bond, J. T. & Hill, E. J. (2004). When work works: A status report on workplace flexibility: Who has it? Who wants it?What difference does it make?

7) Bond, J. T., Thompson, C., Galinsky, E., & Prottas, D. (2002). Highlights of the National Study of the Changing Workforce.

8) DiNatale, M., & Boraas, S. (2002). The labor force experience of women from “Generation X”. Monthly Labor Review,125 (3), 3-15.


9) Roehling, P. V., Roehling, M. V., & Moen, P. (2001). The relationship between work-life policies and practices and employeeloyalty: A life course perspective. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 22 (2): 141-170.

10) Hayashi, A. M. (2001). Mommy-track backlash. Harvard Business Review, 79(2): 33-42.

11) Fredriksen-Goldsen, K. I. & Scharlach, A. W. (2001). Families and work: New directions in the twenty first century. New York:Oxford University Press

12) Conference Board. (2001), May, Work Life Issues. New York, Conference Board.

13) Haar, J., Spell, C. (2001), “Examining work-family conflict within a New Zealand local government organization”, The New ZealandJournal of Human Resources Management, Vol. 1 pp.1-21

14) Friedman, S. D. & Greenhaus, J. H. (2000). Work and family—allies or enemies? : what happens when business professionalsconfront life choices. Oxford; New York: Oxford University Press.

15) Perry-Smith, J. E. & Blum, T. C. (2000). RESEARCH NOTES - Work-Family Human Resource Bundles and Perceived OrganizationalPerformance. Academy of Management Journal, 43(6): 11.

16) Perry-Smith, J.E., & Blum, T.C. (2000) Work-family human resource bundles and perceived organizational performance. Academyof Management Journal, 43, 1107-1117.

17) Formula for retention, Chief Executive (U.S.), (1999), (Chief Executive Guide: The War for Talent), Vol.46 , pp20

18) Gordon and Whelan, 1998, Gordon, J.R., Whelan, K.S. (1998), “Successful professional women in midlife: how organisations canmore effectively understand and respond to the challenges”, Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 12 No.1, pp.8-27.


Background

Work-life balance is a broad conceptincluding proper prioritising betweencareer and ambition on one hand,compared with pleasure, leisure, familyand spiritual development on the other.

Work-life Balance is a key factor whichdetermines employee satisfaction, loyaltyand productivity. As the separationbetween work and home life hasdiminished, this concept has become morerelevant than ever before

Globalisation, working couples, nuclearfamilies, and technology are someimportant factors contributing to work-lifeimbalance. Recession has further worsenedthings. Job related anxieties and domestic

WORK-LIFE BALANCE — A PRIORITY FOR BOTHEMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYER

N SEKAR

Abstract

Work and personal life are mutually dependent and integral part of an individual'slife. Striking a balance between professional and personal priorities is a big challengefor an employee in today's world featured by high competition, advanced technology,fast pace and commercialisation of every aspect of life. His personal and professional

well being is fully dependent on how well he balances. Employers cannot afford toneglect this aspect in their own interest of getting maximum return on their

investment on employees.

About the Author

Sekar N is working as a freelance HR consultant with focus on recruitment for thepast four years. Before this he has worked with few Indian companies and anMNC company.

He is presently the joint secretary of NHRD, Hosur Chapter. He has registered forPhD (Management) at Anna University, Coimbatore.

worries are compounded by recessioninduced unconventional stress.

On one hand, Employees are strugglingcaught between family commitments,organisations’ expectations and personalaspirations. Technological innovations like:e-mail, mobile, virtual office have removedthe barriers of time/place and integratedhome and office thereby leaving them withlittle time of their own.

On the other hand, managements arestruggling with adverse economicsituation, stiff competition, mounting costs,threatening deadlines and similarconstraints forcing them to reduce costsand increase productivity which has directbearing on employees. They need to


achieve this without affecting employeemorale and without compromising onorganisational goals.

The Nielsen Global Online ConsumerSurvey, April 2008 conducted by NielsenCustomised Research, among Internetusers in 511 countries from Europe, Asia-Pacific, North America and West Asia hassome interesting findings:

Indians’ concerns over balancing work andlife have surpassed worries about aslowing economy, while globally the stateof the economy is the biggest concern. ““Itis not surprising that most Indians considerwork-life balance as their biggest concernsince demanding careers are taking a tollon their family lives. A booming economyhas resulted in better jobs and salaries.However, this has brought in long workschedules, leaving individuals with verylittle time to balance their work and life,”says Sarang Panchal, Nielsen’s managingdirector, customised research, Asia-Pacific,India, China and Greater China. The thirdbiggest concern for Indians is parent’swelfare and happiness, the highest for anyAsian country.

A rising rupee and a slowing US economyhas forced a number of companies,especially in the information technology(IT) and IT-enabled services sectors, tooptimise existing capacities and increaseefficiency. “All this has meant thatemployees are working harder at theexpense of their personal lives to meettargets”.

Implications of imbalance

For Employees

“Imagine life as a game in which you arejuggling some five balls in the air. Youname them — work, family, health, Friendsand spirit — and you’re keeping all of thesein the air. You will soon or one dayunderstand that work is a rubber ball. Ifyou drop it, it will bounce back.

But the other four Balls — Family, Health,Friends and Spirit — are made of glass. Ifyou drop one of these; they will beirrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked,damaged or even shattered. They willnever be the same. You must understandthat and strive for balance in your life.”Bryan Dyson (CEO of Coca Cola)

� Toll on the person’s health bothphysiologically and psychologicallyleading to: Heart ailments,cardiovascular problems, sleepdisorders, depression, irritability,jumpiness, insecurity, poorconcentration and even nervousbreakdowns

� Lack of concentration, low productivity,lesser quality of work, conflicts atworkplace

� Affected Family life

� Strained Social Life

� Financial Problems due to ill health, poormanagement of personal finance issues

For Employers

“Companies today cannot afford to ignorethe issue of work/life balance. Providingemployees the flexibility to addresspersonal commitments, withoutcompromising the needs of the business,can make the difference between a goodworking environment and a great one.”Diane Domeyer� Need to manage increased expectations

of employees without compromising onbusiness needs

� Face problems like: Absenteeism, lessproductivity, low quality of work,employee turnover, failure to attractbest talent

� Management time increasingly spenton: counseling, motivation, conflictmanagement etc.,

� More investment on additionalresources


What should be done?

By Employees

“Most people struggle with life balancesimply because they haven’t paid the priceto decide what is really important to them”.STEPHEN COVEY

“Have regular hours for work and play;make each day both useful and pleasant,and prove that you understand the worthof time by employing it well. Then youthwill be delightful, old age will bring fewregrets, and life will become a beautifulsuccess.” LOUISA MAY ALCOTT, AmericanAuthor.

“While all aspects of our life areimportant, without a balance, youbecome addicted and like all addictionsyou lose.” CATHERINE PULSIFER, from Balanceof Life� Time management thru task

prioritisation and activity planning� Negotiate and use facilities like:

work-sharing, job rotation, delegation,flexi timing, tele-commuting,work from home, onsite childcare,eldercare assistance, online wellnessassistance

� Usage of gadgets and domestic help athome to do routine jobs like: washing,cleaning etc., which helps in spendingquality time with family

� Indulging in some creative hobby,voluntary service which helps tode-stress

� Continue education in the subject ofinterest either part-time/online

� Seeking information and help requiredfrom management from time to time

By Employers“Simply pushing harder within the oldboundaries will not do.” KARL WEICK.

Optimum combination of process, socialand technical approaches that willmaximise performance while creating a

high quality of work-life climate foremployees� Regular and direct communication with

workers to make them understandbusiness priorities and encourage themto be equally clear about their personalpriorities.

� Help employees in their pursuit ofbalancing personal commitments andorganisational duties by providingthem necessary support and resourcesas far as feasible like:

� Flexible time options, childcare centersnear workplace, eldercare assistance,facilities/training for health and fitness,workfrom home option

� Counselling/guidance whereverrequired on matters like: relationshipproblems, workplace conflicts

� Training/education on topics like:health, hygiene, stress management,time management, parenting, personalfinance, usage of technology/gadgets,children’s education, retirementplanning etc.

CONCLUSION

Work-life and personal-life are two sidesof the same coin. Striking a balancebetween work and life is critical for anemployee to achieve his personal andprofessional goals. At the same time itsimpact is very significant for theorganisations since the employee’sattitude, loyalty to the organisation andproductivity are directly dependent onhow well he balances his time betweenthese two lives. Hence the organisationshave to extend the needed support to theemployee in achieving work-life balance toget the maximum out of him in workplace.The employee also has to understandexpectations out of him in both roles,prioritise his time and efforts accordingly,seek the help of management and familymembers as required to achieve the best ofboth worlds.


MODEL GUIDELINES AND BEST PRACTICES FORFAMILY FRIENDLY WORKPLACES

AND WORKFORCEV CHANDRA and C S VENKATA RATNAM

Abstract

This paper is drawn from a review of (a) ILO conventions and recommendations; (b)best practices in work life balance among companies based on web-search; (c)

interviews with HR professionals in the companies named; and, (d) the conclusions ofan earlier international workshop on the subject organized by the authors.

It begins with a preamble to understand the subject in context and overviews the legaland institutional framework. It then lists the roles of different stakeholders, highlights

select best practices and illustratively discusses the features and elements of familyfriendly workplaces. Finally, it concludes that while the State, employer, trade unions,community can play a supportive or complementary role, ultimately one's work lifebalance is a function of how the individual assesses and makes appropriate choices.

About the Authors

Dr V Chandra is a social anthropoligist specialising incommunication skills and cross cultural management. She is aProfessor at International Management.

Dr C S Venkata Ratnam is Director, InternationalManagement Institute, New Delhi and is aconsultant to Asian Productivity Organization

and International Labour Organisation. He is a member of theExecutive Board of National HRD Network and executivecommittee member of ILO-Geneva based International IndustrialRelations Association.

PREAMBLE

Work interferes with family life and viceversa. For most people work is the meansfor a better life and for improving the wellbeing of the family. Most employers engagepeople for work to further the objectivesof the organisation and improve theirperformance levels.

Global competition, growingconsumerism, rapid advances intechnology and changes in family as aninstitution are together impinging andimpacting the ‘time-money squeeze’between family caring responsibilities andthe demands of work. In many societies itis affecting women more than men. It is


affecting societies more where family workspillover is high for women despite theirjoining in large numbers, paid work.

Some people need to work long hours toearn enough money, and some may havean enormous workload. Some may lovetheir work and work long hours whileothers are made to feel that they need towork long hours to demonstratecommitment. Based on individualcircumstances, demographic and otherbackground characteristics and preferencespeople can and do have different views orattitudes towards work and family-relatedexpectations, organisational commitment,personal and work-related values andgoals, strategies to achieve success, andissues related to work/life balance.The ideal ‘balance’ can vary at differentstages of the life cycle. Therefore peopleshould be enabled to work in differentways, subject to the realm of possibility andfeasibility and desirability in specific/diverse organisational contexts, so thatthey can achieve their aspirations insideand outside paid work. Work-life balancecan offer individuals more choices as wellas offering organizations greater flexibilityin organising their resources.

Work-life balance is about responding toindividual circumstances to helpindividuals fulfill their responsibilities andaspirations such that it will lead to themutual benefit of the individual, businessand society. This means people shouldhave a measure of control over when,where and how they work.

LEGAL AND INSTITUTIONALFRAMEWORK

The legal and institutional framework forwork life balance is rooted in the work ofthe International Labour Organization(ILO) which enacted several conventionsand recommendations: From ConventionNo.1 on Hours of Work (Industry) in 1919to Recommendation No. 156 on Workerswith Family Responsibilities (1981).

The Government of India has followed upon some of these initiatives of the ILO andenacted legislative measures restrictinghours of work, rest periods during workingday, weekly holidays, payment for overtime work, sick leave, maternity leave,facilities for child care, etc. It has alsocreated institutional arrangements foreducation, health, housing, supply ofessential goods at affordable prices throughpublic distribution system, etc.

Some progressive employers haveresponded proactively to augment thefacilities and benefits to create familyfriendly workplaces. Trade unions haveincorporated family friendly policies intheir collective bargaining agenda; a fewof them have started providing someservices and facilities themselves. In a fewcases, community based organisations –self help groups to municipalities and nongovernmental organisations – have startedcomplementing and supplementing theseeither on a free or fee charging basis.

ROLES OF DIFFERENTSTAKEHOLDERS

Over the years, stakeholders – government,employers and trade unions, thecommunity/civil society organisations andindividuals have started recognising andresponding to work-life issues in different,but limited ways. They need to do more,having regard to the changes in the worldof work increasing participation of womenin labour market, decreasing availability offamily support, growing pressures of workand growing stress to HIV/AIDS and otherissues at both workplace and for families,among others.

The range of measures the variousstakeholders can and need to take care ofshould be to:

• Create a family-friendly workplace

• Address gender equality through work-family measures


• Sensitize individuals to realize theirown responsibility through educationand couselling, among others.

GOVERNMENT

The Government of India, throughlegislation and other measures, providedfor minimal facilities and benefits with aview to secure better work life balance.Shops and Establishments Act andFactories Act and various other legislationscontain several such measures.

EMPLOYERS

An illustrative list of measures thatemployers may adopt, include thefollowing.

• Facilities for child care

– Maternity/paternity leave

– Creche/kindergarten

– Long leave without adverse affecton career

• Home care and home services

– Allowance for elders’ care

• Flexi working arrangements

– Job sharing

– Part time work

– Shift work

– Telework

– Flexi hours

• Benefits and services

– Tied to family circumstances

• Dual career

– Spouse posting

– Residence at employees’ choice plusstudio accommodation near place ofwork if both are in different cities/locations

• Pay and employment equity

– Older workers

– Workers with family responsibilities

– Part time workers

Several employers may already beundertaking several measures. It would beinstructive for employers, workingtogether with employees and theirorganizations to consider:

• Moving away from attendance tooutput/outcome/achievement

• Negative, reactive to positive, proactiveapproaches

• Develop a vision for a family friendlyworkplace, benchmark best practicesand develop a road map to actualise thevision

Select Best Practices at individualcompanies

There is more innovation conceiving work-life balance policies and practices in IT andIT enabled services – be they multinationalor Indian companies – because of thepreponderance of gender balance andresultant increased awareness and concernabout family responsibilities. Theiremployee referral programmes encouragespouses, relatives and friends to opt for ajob in the company. Interestingly, asWipro’s website puts it, the emphasis is on‘work balance towards life’ rather than ‘lifebalance towards work.’ Several companiesfocus on life after work and put in placeseveral programmes to connect even, orespecially, the younger workforce withoutfamily responsibilities. In contrast, in theIndian public sector the emphasis ispredominantly on employee and familywelfare through statutory and nonstatutory benefits while many privatesector companies in India are generallypaternalistic in their approach.


Table 1: Work-Life Balance (WLB) Ratingacross Companies

Company Name Rating of WLB

Nokia 4.3

Agilent Technologies 4.2

Microsoft 4.0

Procter & Gamble 4.0

GlaxoSmithKline 3.8

Nestlé 3.8

HP India 3.7

GE 3.7

IBM India 3.6

Citigroup 3.6

PepsiCo 3.5

HSBC Holdings 3.5

Evalueserve 3.2

Cognizant Tech Solutions 3.0

Tech Mahindra Limited 2.8

Wipro Infotech 2.8

Tata Group 2.8

Infosys Technologies 2.7

Aditya Birla 2.1

Hyundai 1.5

Source: Glassdoor.com (Glassdoor.com is your freeinside look at company ratings and reviews -including employee satisfaction and CEO approvalrating. All company reviews posted anonymously byemployees).

Employer Ratings: 4.51 - 5.0 = “Very Satisfied”.3.5 - 4.5 = “Satisfied”.

The content and selection of services variesacross different countries, according tolocal practice, legislation and other factors.Some of the unique best practices of selectcompanies are listed here for illustrativepurposes. Glassdoor.com rates employers(about 2600 of them worldwide, but nonefrom India) in terms of select aspects of bestpractices, including work-life balance. The

ratings seek to capture what employees onthe inside really think with reviews andratings that hit on the good, the bad, and alot more in between. It encouragesconstructive feedback on company reviewsand asks respondents to provide “pros”and “cons”, along with “advice to seniormanagement.” In addition, Glassdoor.comalso collect and calculate a real-time CEOapproval percentage to provide a pulse ofhow employees think the CEO is doing atany given time. Table 1 provides theranking of about 20 companies worldwidein terms of work-life balance. A perusal ofthe websites of the companies concernedwill give an opportunity to the readers tosee for themselves what makes a particularcompany unique in terms of its bestpractices.

Given below are some of the uniquepractices of a few companies in India andabroad:

Nokia developed a tool, Nokia E71, a sleekmobile device that is designed for Life-in-Balance: It empowers work and leisureconnections in a stylish way and itsworkplay mode allows users to easilyswitch between personal and work homescreens to access one’s favourite functionswhen one wants them most. It developeda complete list of “Get your (Work) Life inBalance” check list (www.nokia-americas-press.com/lifebalance).

Microsoft’s work life balance programsinclude: flexible work arrangements,grocery services, adoption assistance,backup child-care, child-care assistance,commuting and public transportationassistance, dinners-to-go programme,disease management programme, drycleaning and laundry service, employeeaffinity groups, employee developmentcourses, employer-sponsored discountprogrammes, ergonomics programme,financial planning, fitness benefits, legalassistance, long-term care for extended


family members, maternity and paternityleave programme, new mothers’ rooms;on-campus convenience shopping, on-lineparenting resources and seminars,resources and referrals for counseling andeducation, school programmes, smokingcessation programme, tuition assistanceprogramme, and weight managementprogramme.

IBM’s mobility program, launched in 2003,enables employees to access informationand perform work from anywhere andat anytime. It gives employees anopportunity to enhance their effectivenessby providing tools to use at any location,whether it is a customer office, airport, IBMmobility workstations or home.

Nestle offers, like many other companies,pre-retirement classes. Additionally, itoffers facilities for retiree activities. It hasprobably the largest retiree club in Vevey,Switzerland which is home to a largenumber of ex-employees. With more than950 members, it organises a regularprogramme of events ranging fromclimbing, skiing and cycling to foreigntravel, fitness and computer classes.Several of them also take part in localvolunteer projects such as delivering mealsto other Nestle retirees in the region.

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) startedMaitree which was started with anobjective to strengthen the relationshipbetween employees and their families aswell as to provide a platform to encouragechildren. It “strives to encourage thehidden aspirations and talents throughcracking quizzes to conquering tall peaks,from shaking a leg to bending it likeBeckham. It also conducts workshops ontheatre, yoga, flower arrangement,chocolate making, and a host of others thatallow employees to learn and know aboutthings they always wanted to”. Maitreeprovides everyone at TCS the opportunityto establish relationships that extend

beyond work and thereby, help buildbonds that makes work so much more fun.

Infosys’s Health Assessment and LifestyleEnhancement (HALE) initiative focuses onenhancing the emotional value-add ofemployees by optimizing their health,quality of life and work environment. It hascreated world class gymnasiums,swimming pools, aerobics centres, tenniscourts, etc.

Tech Mahindra’s Josh programme enablespeople to enjoy with parties, picnics, yogaand salsa classes, musical events, sportingevents, quizzes, adventures and socialactivities, etc.

Family Friendly Policies

The ILO recognizes that “families need thefinancial resources that come from work toprovide for members. At the same time,families must ensure that dependents, suchas children or the elderly, are looked afterduring working hours. Recent trends inboth the labour market and the family aremaking it increasingly difficult for familiesas they are caught in ‘time money squeeze’between family-caring responsibilities andthe demands of work.” The ILO providesthe following illustrative checklistconcerning family friendly policies/workplaces (Also see Table 2, for some ofthe best practices compiled by the authorsof this paper):

• promote family-friendly strategies inyour organisation

• survey the business needs

• survey the workforce to find out whatthe needs are

• identify and obtain agreement on theaim of the family-friendly program

• engage employees at an early stage inthe process and listen to their views

• collaborate with trade unions toencourage family-friendly policies


• demonstrate/document both businessand employee benefits

• include a long-term perspective whenweighing benefits against costs forimplementation

• provide relevant information so thateveryone can take part in the policies

• clarify and agree eligibility criteria, e.g.,which staff have a priority claim on theprovisions made?

• Establish channels for open andongoing communication

• Make sure that information on practicesis available to everyone in theorganization

• Ensure that top management sets theexample

• Provide support and relevant trainingto managers throughout theorganization.

Table 2: Family Friendly Policies in different sectors

Family-friendly measures Public sector Private sector Multinationalcompanies

Child and elder care• Crèches and nurseries at

subsidised rates• Breast feeding facilities• Workplace support for

employees taking care of afamily member

• Telephone to use for familyreasons

• Retiree clubs

Maternity protection (such ascompliance with ILO conventionsand national legislations andemployment contracts beyondwhat is legally mandated)• maternity leave (up to one year

leave in Sweden). C. 183provides for 14 weeks against12 weeks in the formerconvention. R.191 suggests thatthis period be at least 18 weeks

• cash and medical benefits (C.183) suggests that the benefitshould be at a level that thewomen can maintain herselfand her child in proper

Public sectorcompanies arebest known fortheir child carefacilities, notso much forelder care.

NIIT offersspecialallowance toits employeesfor elder care.

Nestle’sRetiree Club inSwitzerland isperhaps thelargest in theworld for theex-employeesof anorganization.

New Mothers’rooms arecommon insome MNCs.

In severalsmall andmediumcompaniesthese facilitiesare below thelegal norm.


condition of health with asuitable standard of living: aminimum of 2/3 of thewoman's previous or insuredearning.

• Health protection: eliminationof risk; adaptation of workingconditions; or transfer toanother more safe position,without loss in pay, when suchadaptation is not feasible; orpaid leave if such a transfer isnot feasible. The womanshould retain the right toreturn to her job or anequivalent one paid at thesame rate when it is safe for herto do so.

• One or two breaks a day tobreastfeed the child afterreturning to work until thebaby attains the age of 6months

• Employment protection andnondiscrimination: aguarantee that pregnant andnursing mothers will not losetheir job because of pregnancy

Measures relating to schedulingof work• Predictability and swapping

of shifts;• flexitime;• time banking (working time

hours - which enables workersto accumulate leave time, oftenby working overtime duringpeak periods, which can beused for unexpected familyevents or for other personalreasons);

• teleworking


Flexitime andtime bankingis unique inmost MNCs.

Telework iscommon inmost IT andIT enabled


Measures relating to duration ofwork• reducing emphasis on time at

work;• notice for overtime;• part-time work;• job sharing;• reducing working hours

Measures relating to leave andfamily responsibilities• annual leave;• short leave for emergencies;• paternity leave;• parental leave (relatively for a

longer term (ILORecommendation NO.165 of1981)

Measures relating to otherfamily care support services• information services and

contact while on leave;• training courses, workshops,

etc.• on-site concierge services• laundry, takeaway food, etc.

Measures relating to familywelfare• townships• celebrating festivals, etc.• bring your family to

workplace• travel as incentive• movies, cultural, sports and

recreational events• yoga clubs,• volunteering: encouraging

employees and their families toaddress social issues

Widelyprevalent

Most common and widely prevalent across sector.Paternity leave, however, is not so common inprivate companies in India


Common in most IT and ITenabled service companies

Public sector isknown fortownships andcelebratingfestivals andfor encouragingcultural andsports andrecreationalevents

Widelyprevalent inBPO sector

Nokia’svolunteeringprogram,Nokia’sHelping Handsgivesemployees achance tocontribute theirtime and effortto worthycauses in theircommunity.Employees canuse up to 2days ofworking timein a year forthe purpose.


TRADE UNIONS

Trade unions role in work-life balanceincludes, among others:

• Educating and encouraging theirmembers about the need for role/goalclarity and cultivating habits andattitudes conducive to promotion ofbetter work life balance

• Counseling employees about ways ofdealing with trade offs/compromisesconcerning time-money squeeze interms of their approach to convertingwork life balance amenities into cash

• Advocacy for influencing public policyand policy at industry/enterprise level

• Taking up work life balance issues inwork committees and on the collectivebargaining agenda

• Directly undertaking work-life balancemeasures themselves either on free orfee paying basis, depending onresources from within and outside withor without partnership with otherstakeholders

COMMUNITY/CIVIL SOCIETYORGANISATIONS

Community based organizations canundertake to build awareness and providecollaborative, supportive andsupplementary/complementary facilitiesthrough the mobilisation of local resources.Such measures may include strategicpartnerships in the community and in theworkplace in order to make child care andelderly care more easily accessible andaffordable.

Research and educational institutionsshould focus on the emerging issues andundertake studies to make impactassessment, suggest measures to mitigateor alleviate the problems and developappropriate metrics to measure, monitorand rectify the situation as appropriate.

Together they can also use the informationand knowledge to promote dialogue andadvocacy to adjust public policy and actionat other levels aligned to meet the emergingchallenges.

Who am I?

1) Who am I and what I want to be?

2) What are my drives? What makes mehappy?

• Money

• Power

• Status…

3) Vis-à-vis family

• Was I a good child to my parents?

• Am I a good spouse to my wife/husband?

• Am I a good parent to mychildren?

• How am I perceived by myrelatives?

4) Vis-à-vis work

• Am I a good employee/entrepreneur?

• Am I a good boss to mysubordinates?

• How am I perceived by mycolleagues?

• Am I a good subordinate to mybosses?

• How am I perceived by otherswith whom I interact with bothwithin and outside by myorganization, by my suppliers,vendors, etc.?

5) Vis-à-vis community and widersociety

• Am I a good neighbour?

• Am I a good citizen?


INDIVIDUAL

Work life balance is about paying attentionto both work and family responsibility. Itmeans individuals should takeresponsibility for managing

• Personal fulfilment

• Work fulfilment

• Fulfilment of one’s role as spouse andparent

• Fulfilment of one’s role as a responsiblecitizen

Individuals should figure out forthemselves what makes them happy andwhat drives their behaviour? While somesay that it is in their genes, others feel thatthey can be deliberately cultivated andnurtured. The best way is to prepare one’sown obituary and see what others like tosay or remember about me when I am nomore and work backwards thinking aboutand implementing the action plans todeserve that.

CONCLUSION

This paper addresses the problems of WLBfrom family, worker and work perspective.It is recognized that it has societal impactin terms of promoting active participation

of women in workforce, ensuring equalopportunities and resolving the issue ofmotherhood, child care and elder care. Itexamines the roles of stakeholders anddwells on measures that make familyresponsibilities more compatible withwork and those that make workingconditions more compatible with familyresponsibilities.

While family, employer, community andthe State can play a supportive orcomplementary role, ultimately one’swork-life balance is a function of how theindividual assesses and makes appropriatechoices. Thus it is based on how the person

• Develops focus and prioritizes one’sroles and responsibilities to each of theabove

• Learns to trust and delegateresponsibilities to others in a judiciousmanner

The discussion on work-life balance thusfar is mainly focused on the white collarprofessionals in organized industry. Thereis a need for further reflection if one wereto extend the concept to blue collar workersin the organised sector and the largeproportion of workforce in the traditionalunorganised sector.


WORK-LIFE BALANCE: REVIEW OF LITERATURE C S VENKATA RATNAM and V CHANDRA

Abstract

This paper seeks to make a select review of literature on the concept of work-lifebalance, its antecedents, causal factors and consequences. The literature also throws

light on the special influence of gender, if any as well as that of occupations, adaptivestrategies of couples and family friend workplace policies such as family and eldercare facilities, working hours and flexitime. Sectoral differences were also examinedseparately. The review does not cover books and focuses on divergence in focus than

comprehensive coverage of published materials.

About the Authors

Dr C S Venkata Ratnam is Director, International ManagementInstitute, New Delhi and is a consultant to Asian ProductivityOrganization and International Labour Organisation. He is amember of the Executive Board of National HRDNetwork and executive committee member ofILO-Geneva based International IndustrialRelations Association.

Dr V Chandra is a social anthropoligist specialising incommunication skills and cross cultural management. She is aProfessor at International Management.

INTRODUCTION

The concepts of work-life balance (WLB)and family-friendly workplaces are notamenable for precise definition. Peopleinterpret satisfactory WLB differently, withsome needing more personal time thanothers to experience well being. Althoughmost people seek WLB, their concern forcareer success draws them into a situationwhere they work increasingly longhours and experience an increasinglyunsatisfactory relationship between homeand work (Sturgers and Guest, 2004). Thereare four possible motors for family friendlyarrangements: the business case, trends inhuman resource management policies,

gender equity programmes anddevelopment in technologies (Evans, 2000).There is growing literature on adaptivestrategies of couples and WLB andfamily-friendly policies by employers andgovernments in several countries theworld over.

MAJOR PROBLEMS

Hyman and Summers (2004) find sevenmajor problems associated with the currentUK practice of lightly regulated approachtowards WLB: (1) unevenness of adoptionacross different sectors and organisations;(2) lack of formalisation of policies atorganisational level, with largely untrainedline managers having discretion over


policy application; (3) there is restrictedvoice for the employee over theintroduction and implementation ofpolicies: (4) policies are introducedprimarily to meet business needs, ratherthan those of employees. (5) there is noevidence of reductions in working hours;(6) tangible and intangible work intrusionsinto domestic life are myriad; (7) domesticresponsibilities are still conductedprimarily by women irrespective of theiremployment status. As a result, manyemployees continue to face difficultyin reconciling their work domesticresponsibilities.

Based on a self-selected sample of 383college students working in 15 differentindustries, Juliana et. al. (2006) argue thatMcClelland’s need hierarchy acts as anantecedent of work family conflict, and thatthey have a differential impact on workfamily conflict for women and men. Theyconclude that women are more affected byfamily obligation than men and this mayimpact the performance and turnoverintention and job tension among womenin organisations.

Schulz and Schulz (2005) explore theadditional challenges faced by dual careerfaculty couples thus: The first challenge isthe original job search and finding twopositions. The next challenge is to bothmake it through the tenure and promotionprocess. The third challenge is to haveadvancement opportunities. Along withway, the authors assert, the couple has towork together to develop a WLB plan toprovide an environment for each personwithin the pair to thrive towards his/hercareer goals and personal goals. Besidesbalancing the day-today activities of afunctioning household, they argue further,couples must agree on timing for or if theywill start a family and advancementopportunity for each.

There is considerable diversity, withinEuropean Union itself among its various

member countries, in terms of familystructures and labour market participationas well as differences in the issuesencountered by families in achievingsatisfactory WLB and in the contributionof public policy and legislation to theirstrategies (Kay, 2003). Over all, strongtraditional family policies have notcontributed to WLB, since they arepredicated on a traditional malebreadwinner model. As Peter Ackers (2003)argues, a combination of strong demandfor female labour in the service sector andequal opportunities policies is, however,causing employers and government toaddress the issue.

Halpern (2005) highlights that despitechanges in the workforce, the world ofwork is still largely organised for a familymodel that is increasingly rare one with astay-at-home care-giver, be it for child careor younger children or older relatives.Therefore, he makes the case to align theneeds of working families and employers.Building on past research, the theory ofreasoned action and expectancy theory anda survey of 1972 managers in a largegovernment agency, Caster et al (2004)explore the factors that contribute tosupervisors’ decisions to refer subordinatesto work-family programmes. The studyrevealed that both program awareness andinstrumentality perceptions contributeduniquely to predicting the frequency ofsupervisors’ referrals to work-familyprogrammes. Supportive attitudes alsopredicted referrals, but only through theirshared relationship with instrumentalityperceptions.

Felstead et al (2002) examine 12 hypothesesdeveloped from the literature review andtested them on the management datacontained in the 1998 Workplace EmployeeRelations Survey of WERS98. Many ofthese hypotheses, the authors concur, passweak statistical tests but fail on strongerlogistic regression tests. They show that the


option to work at home is more likely tobe available in the public sector, largerestablishments and work environments inwhich individuals are responsible for thequality of their own output. Theseworkplaces are typically less unionised butnot especially feminised.

Bandopadhyay and Kumar (2005) ask thequestion whether e-learning is affecting analready heavily imbalanced work-life. Theauthors develop a motivational pyramidof e-learning and then discuss how theexisting corporate e-learning frameworkcan adversely affect the WLB and causemore stress. They propose a modifiedframework with more emphasis onblended learning approaches andexperiential learning and flexible, user-configurable tools and technology supportenvironment.

WORK FAMILY TRADEOFFS ANDADAPTIVE STRATEGIES

Using a sample of married, employedAmericans from the 1996 General SocialSurvey, Melissa and Peitola (1999) state thatthe found, unexpectedly, that women andmen report similar levels of success andkinds of work-family tradeoffs. However,they found that for men, imbalance ispredicted by long work hours, wives whowork fewer hours, perceived unfairness insharing housework, marital unhappiness,and tradeoffs made at work for familyand at home for work. The newinterdisciplinary dialogue betweentraditional ‘work’ and ‘family’ disciplinesis providing useful insights into the subject.

Zimmerman (2003) documented theadaptive strategies of dual earner couplesin balancing family and work based on astudy of 47 middle-class, dual-earnercouples with children, who perceivethemselves as successful in balancingfamily and work. Their descriptionsclustered into six general partnershipthemes: shared housework, mutual and

active involvement in childcare, jointdecision-making, equal access to andinfluence over finances, value placed onboth partners work life goals and sharedemotion work. Successful couples equallyshare housework and emotion work.However, wives tend to perform slightlymore childcare and to be primarilyresponsible for organising family life.Further, Zimmerman notes that wivesperceive that husbands’ careers are slightlymore prioritised.

Using data on women working part-timeand full-time in different level occupationsin the British Household Panel Survey,Tracey Warren (2004) argues that work-females debates fend to neglect a numberof key domains that women balance intheir lives, in addition to family andemployment, including their financialsecurity and their leisure. Tracey showsthat examining the financial situations andthe leisure lives of female part-timers inlower level jobs reveals a less positivepicture of their ‘life balancing’ than isportrayed in much work-family literature.Instead, they emerged as the leastfinancially secure employees and, linkedto this, less satisfied with their social livestoo Tracey suggests that work-life systemis a multi-dimensional and not just two-dimensional phenomenon. Therefore it isimportant to examine how all life domainsinterrelate with each other. In this way, itwould be possible to better assess all thepros and cons of working part-time withother WLB strategies.

ORGANISATIONAL RESPONSE

Helen De Cieri et. al. (2005) report thefindings of three surveys conductedannually from 1997 to 2000 and explore therange and usage of WLB strategies inAustralian organisations to identify thebarriers to those strategies. They argue thatan organisation’s need to attract and retainvalued employees in a highly competitive


labour market is a strong motivating factorfor increased organisational awareness andaction with regard to implementation andmanagement of WLB strategies. They notethat while some achievements have beenmade over the years, there remainsubstantial challenges for the uptake andmanagement of WLB strategies.

Daniel Vloeberghs (2002) describes thedevelopment process of the family andbusiness audit within the Flemish contextand outlines the need for a practicalinstrument to measure the present situationof WLB, outlining the aims and content ofthe same, having regard to the existinginstruments referred to or used in the study.

FAMILY FRIENDLY WORKPLACES/POLICIES

Based on a national sample of 527 US firmsPerry-Smith et al (2000) suggest thatorganisations with more extensive work-family policies have higher perceived firm-level performance. Further there waspartial support for the hypothesis that therelationship between work-family bundlesand firm performance is stronger in olderfirms and firms employing largerproportions of women.

Working hours and Flexi-time

Pocock et al (2007, p.2) argue that longerhours worked ‘are consistently associatedwith worse work-life outcomes on all our-life measures’. In certain industries (serviceindustries of hospitality and tourism, forinstance) and in developing countries thereis an unhealthy acceptance of long workinghours.

Based on a review of evidence from theBritish Social Attitudes Survey, 2002, JohnMacInnes (2005) explodes the myths aboutthe demand for reduction in working hoursto enhance WLB. John asserts that “WLBpolicies aimed at reducing working hoursare often assumed to be of particular

interest to workers with familyresponsibilities such as young children.Although workers in Britain report thekind of time-stress envisaged by the debateover a ‘long hours culture’, there is littlerelationship between workers’ familysituation and preferences for working fewhours. Women workers’ hours alreadyreflect family commitments to some extent,while families with young children mayneed the income levels that only substantialworking hours bring. Conversely workerswithout family commitments may havemore capacity to swap income or careerprogression for increased leisure time.”

Be that as it may, Hildebra (2006) arguesthat working time is once again on theagenda with one section arguing forextension of working time and greater,market-oriented flexibilisation in theinterest of cutting costs. Then there arethose who argue in favour of furtherreductions in working time and greatertime sovereignty. Conflicting demands ontime is an issue not only for workingmothers, but also for corporate humanresource policy. Hildebra provides insightinto corporate working time arrangementsin various sectors and employee timechoices in reconciling companyrequirements and private interests. Heconcludes that neither side has yet madeadequate progress in creating thepreconditions for a successful balance.

INDIVIDUAL’S SITUATIONS ANDPREFERENCES

Cousins and Varshney (2009) conducted 10qualitative cases studies to investigate howmobile users experienced and the work lifeboundary management strategies theyenacted to address them in terms of threecategories: Managing life space transitionsrelates to how users switched betweenwork and life activities using mobiletechnology. Managing accessibility relatesto how users employed mobile technology


for managing communications,interruptions and availability to others fordirect interaction. Managing spaceutilisation, relates to how users organisedresources in their physical location tosupport their computing activities. Theyconclude that the use of mobiletechnologies to blur work life boundariesis highly pervasive and may not beindicative of dysfunctional behaviour, butrepresentative of new ways of working andliving. Therefore, they suggest that wemust design ubiquitous computingenvironments to support users’ preferencesfor blurred or defined boundaries, whilefacilitating their well being and feelings ofsatisfaction in both work and life.

Dallimore and Micke (2006) observe, basedon a discursive formations’ framework, theimportance of (a) clarifying expectationsfor employees, (b) addressing employees’desire for various types of advice, (c)acknowledging obstacles that are internallybased, and (d) understanding employees’perceptions of work environments inenhancing quality of life.

Using data from the 1997 Australian TimeUse Survey, Blundson et al (2005) examinehow people in different circumstancesallocate time to different activities. Theresults provide insight in to three issues:(a) male and female managers displaydifferent patterns of time use. Malemanagers’ time is dominated by paidemployment activities, whereas femalemanagers’ time is spent predominantly onemployment and domestic activities; (b)life situation impacts on the time use offemale managers, but not male managers;(c) managers’ time use is different to otheroccupational groups.

Keene and Reynolds (2005) used the 1992National Study on the Changing Workforceto conclude that job characteristics are moresalient than family factors for predictingthe likelihood that family demands will

detract from job performance and forexplaining the gender gap in negativefamily-to-work spillover. Working in ademanding job or having little jobautonomy, the authors assert, wasassociated with more native family-to-work spillover regardless of gender, whilegreater scheduling flexibility mitigated thegender gap.

Research in seven hotels with primarilyHispanic workforce (91%) found quiteunexpectedly that family-to-work conflictissues were related to a higher jobsatisfaction. It is also noted that for thisgroup — primarily lower-incomeHispanics – work can be seen as a releasefrom family conflict issues (Namasivayamand Mount, 2004)!

SECTORAL STUDIES

Hill et all (1998) summarise that qualitativeresearch on virtual office and its effects onwork and WLB revealed the perception ofgreater productivity, higher morale,increased flexibility and longer work hoursdue to telework, as well as an equivocalinfluence on WLB and a negative influenceon teamwork. They studied 157 IBM tele-workers and d89 others in traditional officesetting. Using a quasi-experimental design,quantitative multivariate analysessupported the qualitative findings relatedto productivity, flexibility and WLB, butnot the qualitative findings for morale,teamwork and work hours. Hill et allhighlight the need for a multi-methodapproach, including both qualitative andquantitative elements when studyingtelework.

Software developers are considered the keyoccupation to examine in future studies of‘knowledge workers’ [Ackroyd et all(2000)]. They are the ‘vanguard’ ofemerging work practices [Barrett (2001)).In view of longer working hours andaround-the-clock support, IT workers


suffer more from work-life conflict than inmost other cases. Scholarios and Marks(2004) note that intrusion of work intoprivate life for this group of workers stillhas a substantial impact on work-relatedattitudes. They assert that work-lifeboundary variables affect trust in theorganisation which plays a mediationalrole in these variables’ relationship to jobsatisfaction and organisationalcommitment. They observe that evenwithin this industry, where employees arerelatively individualistic in orientation,highly marketable and unlikely showattachment to a single organisation, mutualgains for employee and employer can beattained by an accommodating approachto non-work commitments which may leadto greater organisational attachment.

Based on a survey of professional andtechnical employees of biotechnology firms,Eaton (2003) links workplace flexibilitypolicies – formal, informal, and perceivedusable – to organisational commitment andself-reported productivity. It highlights thatwhere employees could freely use policies,a positive association with outcomes isfound.

Deery and Jago (2009) examine the keyissues associated with WLB with aparticular focus on practices within thetourism industry based on a 8-yearlongitudinal study. Presenting a frameworkthat focuses on the specific variables thatinfluence WLB and the potential outcomesfrom these, the authors’ identity theindividual differences and family factorsthat influence work life conflict. They assertthat greater use of flexible work practicessuch as flexible scheduling, working fromhome and having access to both paid andunpaid leave and job sharing are some ofthe strategies that can have positive effecton WLB.

Stewart et. al. (2006) investigated the careerplans of prospective dental students

(n=436, with a useable response rate of94%) in two colleges in the UK at the timeof admission to find out how they foreseetheir WLB. While 91.3% intended workingfull time and men expected to earn morethan women by over 15%) said that theywould take time of their career toconcentrate on childcare when childrenwere of pre-school age, with a further 11%taking longer. 90% of females and 70% ofmales anticipated taking time out, of avarying duration. Half the respondentsindicated that they felt a child would affecttheir career to a moderate extent. Theauthors infer that the dental profession willbe severely effected if both males andfemales take time out of their careers inthe future as there is already a shortageof dentists and fewer dentists optingfor National Health Scheme (NHS) only2.8 % expected to work exclusively withthe NHS.

Diane Perrons (2003) evaluates the claimthat new technologies and patterns ofworking allow the temporal and spatialboundaries of paid work to be extended,potentially allowing more people,especially those with caring responsibility,to become involved, possibly leading to areduction in gender inequality. Based on55 in-depth interviews with new mediaowners, managers and employees in smalland micro enterprises in the new mediahub of Brighton and Hove, Diane’s studyindicates that while new media creates newopportunities for people to combineinteresting paid work with caringresponsibilities, a marked genderimbalance remains.

Michael White et al (2003) analyzed thedata from national surveys of Britishemployees in 1992 and 2000 and theirresults suggest a conflict between highperformance practices and WLB.Surprisingly, the study indicates that dual-earner couples are not especially liable tonegative job-to-home spillover. Further, the


presence of young children has become lessimportant over time.

A work and life issues survey in the USAof 6,451 employees of IBM examines theinfluence of perceived flexibility in thetiming and location of work on WLBrevealed that given the same workload,individuals with perceived job flexibilityhave more favourable WLB and are ableto work longer hours before workloadnegatively impacts their WLB (E. JeffreyHill et. all. 2001).

The literature on flexible working mainlyconcentrates on large organisations.Maxwell et al (2007) carried out a largescale survey of, and series of interviewswith, owner-managers of smallerbusinesses in Scotland. The study showsthat part-time work, time off in lieu,staggered working hours and shiftswapping are the main types of flexiblework in smaller businesses. In manyincidences flexible working arrangementsare requested by employees, operatedinformally, and centred on the businessneeds. There is significant scope for greateruptake of flexible working arrangementsin small businesses, especially in servicessector businesses. Positive impacts offlexible work arrangements in recruitmentand retention, enhanced employeerelations, commitment and loyalty arefound, together with disadvantages ofoperational problems and administrativeburdens. The authors suggest that the gapbetween the potential for, and currentpractice in, flexible working arrangementsmay be narrowed by targeting informationand guidance on such arrangementsspecifically to the owner-managers ofsmaller businesses.

Rothbard et al (2005) surveyed 460employees focusing on the extent to whichindividuals desire to integrate or segmenttheir work and non-work lives. Theyobserved that people who want more

segmentation are less satisfied andcommitted to the organisation when theyhave greater access to integrating policies(e.g., onsite childcare) than when they haveless access to such policies. Conversely,people who want greater segmentation aremore committed when have greater accessto segmenting policies (eg., flexitime). Thefit between the desire for segmentation andorganisational policy has an effect onsatisfaction and commitment over andabove the effects of demographiccharacteristics such as age, gender, maritalstatus, income, number of children, and theages of those children.

MEASUREMENT

Hayman evaluated a 15 item scale forassessing the construct of WLB adaptedfrom an instrument reported by Fisher-McAuley, Stanton, Jolton and Gavin (2001)with data obtained from 61 humanresource administrators of a largeuniversity in Western Australia. Factoranalysis confirmed a robust three factorsolution.

CONCLUSION

Technology, demographic shifts, feminismand a host of other factors raised the levelsof awareness about WLB and its impact onboth individuals and organisations. Thereis much research, both conceptual andempirical, especially in western countriesthan in developing countries and emergingmarkets, including India. Also, much of theresearch focused on white collaredprofessionals in the organized sector thanthe blue collaraed workers in both theorganized and the unorganised sectorseven though the issues are no less criticaland of a more fundamental naturereflecting the lack of even opportunities fordecent work not to speak of balancebetween work and life/family. There is aneed for further investigation. Suchinvestigation may focus on effects of


specific policies like flexi tme, workinghours, family, child and elder care facilities,etc. The role of managers, specially

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“LIFE-BALANCE” — A “REAL” PERSPECTIVES VIJAYALAKSHMI

About the Author

Vijayalakshmi obtained her B.A. LL.B (Hons.) from National LawSchool of India University, Bangalore in 1998 followed by PGDPM&IR from XLRI Jamshedpur in 2000.

She started her career in HR with Hindustan Unilever Limited(Earlier known as HLL) and was the Branch HR Manager for thesouthern branch in her last role. She is currently pursuing a careerbreak with HUL, and in this period been actively involved withNHRD as a core committee member of the Chennai Chapter.

In the area of Human Resources her interests include Customer Development (Sales)HR, Performance Management, HR metrics/customer service and employeeengagement. She is a mother of two children and her other interests includeconsumer & civic rights, creative communication & branding, public speaking andsports.

Very often one reads perspectives on work-life balance from a systemic / organisationpoint of view. I believe as HR professionalswe can comprehend its real essence and theissues involved only when we wear anemployee’s hat and not that of theorganisation! Towards this, I have made anattempt to share my perspective based onmy own life and work experiences…I alsorealise that in doing so my insights are notjust different but probably more “real” thanwhen I wore the hat of a HR manager.Given below are some of these that I havegained:

1) Real terms - The term Work-Life Balanceitself seems like one that needs review! Letme try to explain… “Work” is a part ofone’s life, a very important part of course.Hence, “work” and “life” are not twocompartments. In my view, a better termto use would be “Life Balance”.Terminologies apart, the importantmessage here is that to most human beingswork is not an end in itself, but a means toone’s life goals / needs. As an employer ifone were to keep this in mind, our

approach to life-balance initiatives wouldbe more meaningful and relevant.

2) Real needs - Life-balance assumesgreatest significance when the demands ofone’s work and other life aspects seemequally critical at the same point in time.But in a case, when either of these can bedeprioritised (at least for some period)finding the balance is not really a challenge.For example, take the initial years of one’swork life. In most cases this is really in the20’s when one’s family commitments arenot so pressing and one can afford to placework in overdrive if one chooses to.However, many employees find this achallenge after marriage or more so thebirth of a child. Both demands seem to befair in their own right and hence thechallenge. A zero-one solution (either workor home) though seemingly the simplestmay not be the best and this is where theneed for life-balance comes in.

Organisations need to realise that policiesneed to be in place which encourageemployees to strike that balance, and not


to look at those who wish to do so as havingcompromised at work. Wearing anemployee hat would aid one not just to seebut empathise with this perspective…howmany of us would genuinely like a life withno milestones achieved on our personalfronts or having compromised on them? Ina day and age where organisations areseeking diversity goals, how many of themwould like an employee population forexample devoid of women or those withfamily commitments?

As mentioned above, with employeesbeing at different stages of their life-cycles,a “one size fits all” approach to these life-balance issues would not work. A simpleexample here - a younger employee mayappreciate a longer lunch break where hecould step out for lunch with friends, buta working mother may prefer acompressed break owing to which shecould leave office earlier.

3) Real systems - Coming to the area ofemployee policies to foster life-balance,these cannot be “feel-good or nice to have”ones. These need to be given as muchimportance as code of conduct or financialpolicies of the organisations for them tobecome an intrinsic part of theorganisation’s culture. For example, if therewere a policy on number of working hours,systems need to be put in place toimplement the same. I knew of a workingunit where there was no electricity in theoffice area beyond 6:30 PM and the officewas physically locked on a Saturday in anattempt to curb late/weekend-working. Asschool-like as this may sound, it did havesome effect in deterring people fromstaying late and working on holidays. Thepoint here is not to discuss if such a methodwas the right one, but to emphasise thatclear and serious systems are indeednecessary to make “valuing employeetime” a culture.

This gains greater prominence in light ofthe fact that people at different stages of

their life cycle may not be able to appreciatelife-balance issues in the same manner asmentioned in point 2. Hence the onus ison the organisation to put in place requiredsystems to enable this appreciation. Oncethe policies have been formulated andcommunicated, stringent enforcement isimperative, in letter and in spirit. In oneexperience of driving “zero-overtime” forstaff, managers (supervisors) were notpermitted to authorise any late workingand this was communicated to the staff aswell. While it was initially a tough changeto adapt to, over time employeesdiscovered that they were better managersof their own time, hence leading to greaterefficiencies. Work allocation was plannedwell in advance and no meetings wereplanned after 5:00 PM. Most of the time,when policies are articulated clearly andexpectations spelt out, compliance follows.

4) Real flexibility - One of the greatestenablers in promoting life-balance amongstemployees is flexible working conditions.Many terms have been used in this contextincluding tele-commuting, work fromhome, compressed work-week, flexiblehours, part-time working etc. There is alsoenough literature available making abusiness case for flexible working citingreasons of greater employee commitment,driving diversity, saving costs etc.However, while many progressiveorganisations have talked about this,experimented with this, how many haveactually made it a way of life and a“mainstream” option? In the west, manyorganisations have attempted to do sowhich is also one of the reasons for a betterdiversity ratio!

Flexible working is not a compromisesolution or one which is an allowance for“weaker or less committed” employees butone which is on par with full-timeconventional working as far as deliveryand value generation goes. The moment itis looked down upon, it would be


impossible for employees to take it on as arealistic option. Once accorded itsnecessary status, culturally and otherwise,more employees who need it would opt forit, and this not only include those who needto balance family needs but others whowould like to seriously pursue “non-work”interests in their life. The point is thatemployees would stop looking at work ascompromising on the other aspects of theirlife and being capable of coexistence.

Hence in whichever category of roles it ispossible to encourage flexi-working it mustbe done so. No doubt, making flexi-working possible requires a thorough re-look at job descriptions, exploring creativealternatives based on an employee needs’audit. A lady friend who is on a work-from-home arrangement recently shared aninsight with me. She said “In a normal 8hour work day there are at least 1.5 hoursthat are “non-work” (45 for lunch, 2 teabreaks of 15 min each, and at least 15 minfor general catching up). But in my ownwork day, this is unacceptable. I know Ican’t work a minute longer than 8 hours asit eats into my time for kids. Hence I haveworking lunch of 15 min flat and 2 teabreaks of 15 min in all. So where is the issueof lower productivity just because it’s aWFH arrangement, assuming it is acommitted conscientious employee?”While this may not work for everyemployee, the moot point is that there maybe no grounds to believe that flexibilitylowers productivity.

5) Real support – Finally, coming to anissue that has touched my own life andhave personally experienced is that ofwomen in the workforce across levels.Again, an issue that most organisationsaccept that they should be driving. Buthave some of the real enablers been put inplace? Let us take a fundamental point ofwomen and childbirth, on which I willdelve into some amount of detail. Givingbirth to a child is definitely not an area in

which a woman should take a decisionbased on her working environment – doingso would be unfair. But the reality is thatthere are many career women today whodo so and defer childbirth to a stage whereit does not interfere much with careerprofession. But imagine a society, where allwomen were to de-prioritise their roles inchildbirth and as mothers! Hencechildbirth needs to be viewed as a“natural” change for a woman like anyother business change.

Which also means that adequate and morethan adequate support needs to be givento the woman employee to cope with thatchange. Only then would organisationshave new-mothers returning back to theworkforce after childbirth. Yet again, thesesupport systems have to be very real andrelevant. How many organisations have asix-month paid maternity leave policydespite the WHO guidelines screamingloud about the need for minimum 6 monthexclusive breastfeeding for new-bornskeeping in mind the health benefits itbrings? I was fortunate to be a beneficiaryof a 6 month maternity break policy of myorganisation but I have seen many a friendwho was expected to compromise onbreastfeeding and hence the health or herinfant for fear of being made redundant /losing her job. Or in case a woman is stillresilient not to compromise on either anddesires to nurse her baby at work, howmany offices can talk of a breastfeeding /Mother’s room on premises? Very often Ihave heard of organisations stating thatthere are not enough new mothers to justifyhaving this infrastructure. This reflects thelack of sensitivity employers have to agroup with special needs which leads tomany a woman compromising on what shehas to do for a baby. Moving on, does everyorganisation provide for an in-house crècheto look after very young babies even as apaid for service? How often are reasons ofspace and not enough number of women


employees cited as a reason for lack of thesame? In such a situation women wouldeither compromise on caring for theirinfants which leave them frustrated in thelong run or quit the workforce. Either ofwhich is not a sustainable option.

Coming to working formats, part-timeworking at reduced wages or work-fromhome would be very good compromisesolutions for many new mothers. Hereagain, how many companies offer this as adefault available choice for a new motherreturning to work, despite that technologyhas made it possible to do so? While thissub-topic by itself could justify an entirearticle, suffice to say that womenemployees seek real support systems toenable them to perform dual roles.

In Conclusion - In an era where stress andwork-related burnout have becomecommon realities, a paradigm shift isrequired in the way organisations view theemployment contract and work in itself.With many employees choosing to lookat work as a means to a meaningful life, itis important we as HR professionals andemployers understand this perspective

and think about what it really implies. Iforganisations would like to be populatedwith healthy, balanced and engagedhuman capital in the long run, life-balanceissues have to be thought through in fargreater detail than the cursory treatment itis getting in most places today.

An after-thought …At a late 7:30 PMmeeting with some colleagues, one veryyoung new joinee manager remarked –“Hey, aren’t there are some laws regulatingvery late working of clerical cadre?How come there isn’t one for managers?”I see some merit in that remark today, as Iput my thoughts to “work-life” balanceissues though on the face of it, it doessound a bit drastic. How about thegovernment enacting legislation that putsin place rules of engagement (like in someother nations) to bring in the requiredseriousness on the issue. If legislation couldgive 12 weeks paid maternity leave towomen or that an employee cannot domore than 6 hours overtime in a week,maybe there should be legislation toreexamine life-balance for all employeesacross all cadres!


WORK-LIFE BALANCE — MY THOUGHTSVIJAYALAKSHMI RAO

The child falls sick the day you have a clientmeeting. An emergency crops up in officethe day you take off for a family function.For a career woman, it seems an endlesstug-of-war between work and personal life.Life becomes one big guilt trip – at one endshe suspects that she’s not giving enoughto her profession, at the other she fears thatshe has failed in her role as a caregiver athome.

There are various angles to the issue and,the way I see it, it’s just one anotherproblem that we need to deal with. Anissue that can be ironed out and neatlytided over with some careful planning andforethought. Just as a woman routinelyhandles various problems at work and athome, she can effectively manage thebalance between work and home. Whetherat home or office, it boils down to work.The time zones may be different as may bethe nature of work, but both are integralparts of her life and it helps to view themthus. Managing the two seamlessly andwith minimal conflicts is the way to goabout it.

My emphasis would be on prioritising. Weneed to be clear on our expectations and

define satisfaction levels on both career andhome fronts. For instance, if spending‘quantity’ time with kids is important toyou during their formative years, it isworth taking a break and later restartingyour career, which is what I did. However,I made sure I kept in touch with mysubjects and the developments in the field.If networking is important to your field ofwork, invest some time and resources in iteven during your sabbatical.

When restarting your career, it’s imperativethat you have a solid support infrastructurein place. The transition period tends to bedifficult and a solid domestic supportsystem – be it family or paid help – will goa long way in cushioning the effects. Theseare some decisions that I have personallytaken, all of which ensured that I pursuedmy career without sacrificing much on thehome front.

Of course, none of this is withoutchallenges. Each day is different, bringingwith it its own joys and problems. But hereagain, I have found that advance planninghelps, be it at home or in office. Fromscheduling client calls after office hours totaking breaks during the day for school

About the Author

A postgraduate in Management from Indian Institute ofManagement, Ahmedabad, Vijayalakshmi (Viji) has almost 24 yearsof experience in Knowledge Management and Consulting. She isin charge of all Project Execution and oversees the Human ResourceFunction in Scope. She has consulted with several leading publicand private organizations in the engineering, health care, supplychain & logistics and IT domains. She has worked in the Marketing& Corporate Planning functions for TI Cycles of India, a part of the

Murugappa Group, S.B.Billimoria & Co. (now Ernst & Young India) and was formerlyExecutive Assistant to Chairman and part of the core turnover strategy team at SteelAuthority of India Ltd., India's largest and one of the world's leading steel companies.


PTA meetings, I like to plan it out. Whenthe going gets tough, it’s a good idea tokeep Plan B ready, so neither your worknor your family is forced to bear the bruntof the situation.

Keeping communication lines open is alsoimportant. Kids should be taught toappreciate what your career means to youand understand your commitments. Theirrespect for you will grow multi-fold whenyou do that. Similarly, keeping your officecolleagues in the loop on forthcomingdomestic commitments is equallyimportant. Nobody likes surprises in thisregard.

Whether at home or in office, totalcommitment to whatever you do is critical.The discipline of leaving your mentalbaggage outside the door and giving yourall to the work in hand will at once let yoube a good career woman and a committedfamily person. As women, God has giftedus with multi-tasking skills which we mustfully leverage on to play multiple roles.

Managing work-life balance may seem abig challenge but I enjoy every bit of it. Itseems like a day well spent when youknow you have been a good and efficientwife/mother/daughter-in-law and acareer woman at the same time.


WORK LIFE BALANCE — YOUNG DILEMMASANDEEP K. KRISHNAN

It is an interesting image that you get of ahighly paid, achievement oriented,professional in a young softwareengineering or an MBA graduate. Closelyinteracting with them as a HR professionaland my academic interests put thefollowing thoughts on their Work-Lifebalance.

It has become difficult to define what iswork and life : work is not what you dofrom 9 to 6 any more. Irrespective of thetimings, nature of work compels youngprofessionals especially those working inknowledge industries to think andcontinue working even after prescribedtime of work. A study conducted(Anilkumar, C.S ., and Krishnan, Sandeep,(2005), Human Capital) showed that thereare clear differences in work life balanceperceptions of people working intraditional jobs compared to new age jobswith traditional jobs having a rightorientation to work-life balance. The roleof HR practices and performance relatedcompetition also has led at least a sectionof younger generation to believe thatsitting long hours in office can help in abetter rating with their managers.Performance oriented culture coupledwith high competition set up by ourprocesses and constant communication is

About the Author

Sandeep K. Krishnan is a Fellow of the Indian Institute ofManagement Ahmedabad. He is currently working with IBM inthe area of talent management and leadership development.He has worked in the area of HR consulting with Ernst and Youngand Talent Management with RPG Group. He has written severalarticles in the area of Human Resources and presented at globalforums.

making young generation to take work asif it is a make or break affair. Highexpectations from organisations, peers,and managers can impact the naturalimbalance that one should consider in hiswork relationships. Even if a personchooses to be at home after normal workhours, all pervasive technologies : be itmay data cards, mobile phones, or remoteworking technologies, foster inability tocompartmentalise work as somethingdone at office and life is something out ofoffice. This coupled with inability to sayenough is enough takes its own toll. Manynew industries work on low coststrategies, making people to work moreat less cost, the brunt is definitely takenby people. With the advances ininformation technology, work has alsobecome more complex with hugetransaction burdens on all levels ofprofessionals. This also makes them spenda lot of time on non core activities.

The socialization at work, great workenvironments, facilities, makes manyyoung professionals to spend more time atoffice and enjoy the time. It is quitecommon to hear that it is better to be inoffice with a nice cafeteria, fitness center,and an air conditioned environment!However, this hits outside office


socialisation and opportunities to enrichlife experience.

Deteriorating health is another majorconcern area for younger generation. A lotof times spend on the desk, relying oninnumerable coffees to keep one clearheaded, and junk food is taking a toll onhealth. It is quite surprising toacknowledge the fact that many have highblood pressure and cholesterol levels intheir late 20s and early 30s. A lot of youngprofessionals seek relief by pub hoppingand indulging in heavy/ tasty food as away out of tiresome work. Working hardand partying hard can take a huge toll onwork life balance. This also creates apotential future financial problem. Manyrely on credit cards to fund their partyingand enjoyment part of life. It is notuncommon to hear that many just pay theminimum amount on credit cards and keepdelaying the payments for months or evenyears thereby creating huge pressure onthemselves.

Unhealthy work hours, inability tocompartmentalise office and home, createstrained personal relationships especiallyin marriages. News reports and statisticsshow that divorce rates are on a high withinability to spend quality time with spousea major factor of trouble. Cultural factorsalso come in play. HR comes across manycases where a young lady who is recentlymarried – working in graveyard shift,expected to perform normal household

duties comes back to the organisationburdened and in the verge of a breakdown.Definitely our cultural expectation of rolesof a man and woman has not caught upwith the significantly changed workroutines. Similarly, although we have seenour western counterparts religiouslytaking vacations and time outs, we as asociety feels it is unwanted thing and donot know what to do with a vacation!

Although various negative factors of work-life imbalance have been put forth, it is alsoimportant to understand that there is agrowing awareness of a need for factorsthat can help maintain a healthy work lifebalance. On the extreme side, we comeacross people choosing jobs in public sectorover private sector, and even moving outof an established and a cushy private sectorjob. However, we also come across highlyenergetic and passionate set of youth thatspends time religiously on cultural/socialevents, fitness centers , volunteeringactivities, and even run marathons andpractice for the same!

I have found progressive organisations likeIBM giving high priority to work-lifebalance especially for women throughflexi-timings, work from home, and specialassignments. A lot more effort is to be donein this - we do not want to have aprematurely aged, disease prone,psychologically distressed, and difficult-to-handle generation to be created in the next5-10 years in our country.


ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSOur profound thanks to all the contributors of articles and book reviewers whohave taken time off from their schedules out of their dedicated interest to thefield of Work-life balance.

The editorial team acknowledges the excellent contribution of the guest editorDr.C.S. Venkataratnam, Director, International Management Institute, New Delhiand Dr.V Chandra, International Management Institute, New Delhi.

We also acknowledge the financial support to the journal from Dr.Santrupt Misra,Aditya Birla Group, Mr.Arvind Agrawal, RPG Group, Mr.N.S.Rajan, E&Y,Mr.S.Y. Siddiqui, Maruti Suzuki India Limited, Mr.Anand Nayak, ITC.

Our special thanks to Ms.Bina Raju for her painstaking editorial support.

Editorial Team

BOOK REVIEWS1. RECONCILING WORK AND FAMILY RESPONSIBILITIES

Author : Catherine Hein

Published by : ILO, Geneva.

As we all are aware Reconciling Work and Family Responsibilities is amajor concern for many of the world’s adults wherever they live. Further,work-family conflict can cause major problems for societies, enterprises,families, man and particularly women and that policies and measures bygovernment and the social partners can make a difference.

The book Reconciling work and family responsibilities by CatherineHein (Book well Publishers, New Delhi, 2006) presents concrete examplesof what is being done in countries, communities and enterprises aroundthe world in order to help workers to be better able to reconcile work andfamily responsibilities such as caring for children and the elderly.. The bookcan be divided into 2 parts: Part -1: Introduces the subject and lists out thereasons why intervention to reduce work-family conflict is in the interests

of governments and the social partners. Part -2: Considers possible policy responses, based onexamples of what is being done and the lessons learned from past experience. The book is dividedinto 7 chapters and lets look at each one of them separately.

Chapter - 1 looks first at the relevant International Labour Standards and then examines in briefthe origins of work-family conflict, looking at the historical and current trends in work and in thefamily that have resulted in this conflict becoming a problem for many, particularly since the secondhalf of the twentieth century. In the end it summaries the most common difficulties faced by workerswith family responsibilities.

Chapter- 2 focuses, looking at the evidence from both industrialised and developing countries, onwhy interventions to help reduce the conflict between work and family responsibilities are desirableand in the interest of governments, employers and trade unions, as well as society as a whole. Itexamines in more detail the economic and social repercussions of work-family conflict for societyand work organisations and looks at why some governments and social partners have been makingefforts to improve work-family reconciliation.

Chapter - 3 First provides a frame work that classifies the main types of measures aimed atreducing work-family conflict. It then goes on to look at measures which fall mainly within thecompetence of government. Given the importance of advocacy and the involvement of the socialpartners, the next section looks at how alliances have been contributing. Finally the chapter considerswhat is probably the greatest policy challenge in measures for work-family reconciliation – theirimplications for the objective of quality of opportunity and treatment for men and women in theLabour market, as specified in ILO Convention No.156.

Chapter - 4 Focuses on attitudes, policies and practices that can make the workplace morefamily-friendly and considers how family-friendly policies can be implemented successfully.

Chapter - 5: As we all are aware one of the main worries for the worker or would-be worker withfamily responsibilities is how to cater for those in the family who may need looking after while he orshe is away from home, as well as how to ensure that household chores get done. Further, makingfamily responsibilities more compatible with work involves mainly measures related to the availability

April | 2009 NHRD Network Journal 107

108 April | 2009 NHRD Network Journal

of care arrangements for dependants. This chapter considers in more detail the different kinds ofarrangements that can help workers with responsibility for a child, an elderly relative or a familymember with a disability.

Chapter - 6: Leave entitlements have direct implications for how difficult it is for a worker to beabsent for a short period to deal with a family emergency or to take a more prolonged break forcaring responsibilities. In addition, having leave at the same time as the rest of the family, particularlychildren, is often a positive element for the quality of family life. This chapter focuses on leavearrangements.

Chapter - 7: It is common knowledge that workers with family responsibilities need time during theday and during the week when they can look after their children or elderly and give them the careand affection they need. How much time workers have for family responsibilities, and more generallyfor life outside work, depends to a large extent on their working hours.

This final chapter looks at “family unfriendly” trends in long hours and asocial schedules (workingevenings, nights and weekends), considering what can be done to attenuate negative effects. Itthen goes on to look at specific ways of making working-time arrangements more family-friendly,mainly through reduced working hours (part-time work) and various types of flexible work schedules.Finally, it examines the potential of home work and tele work as ways of arranging work location sothat it is compatible with family responsibilities.

In today’s context the struggle to earn a decent living for the family while ensuring care for dependantsis often posing insurmountable problems. Further, the livelihoods of many families throughout theworld are under serious stress and social policies must respond to their needs and aspirations,and to changes in gender roles and responsibilities. In this context the book by Catherine Heindefinitely contributes to greater awareness of the problem and increased action to address it.

Given the growing importance of human resource, in providing the much sought after cutting edgeto the organisations to excel in their respective domains, there is every need to reconcile work andfamily responsibilities and the examples presented in the book provide useful ideas for action bygovernments, employers’ and workers’ organisations as well as concerned civil organisations. Assuch, this book will make not only an interesting study/reading for accommodations, managersand leaders but to all those in making this world a better place to live and work for.

Reviewed by :

Dr A Jaganmohan Reddy, Associate Professor (HR) and Placement Coordinator, Institute ofPublic Enterprise, Hyderabad.

108 April | 2009 NHRD Network Journal


2. THE HR GUIDE TO ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE: MANAGING WORK-LIFE BALANCE

Author: David Clutterbuck

Publisher: Jaico Books, Delhi, 2004.

This book highlights the role of HR in dealing with work-life imbalancewhich arises owing to ‘corporate bigamy’ as rightly presented by the author.The book purports to provide practical implementation of work-life balancepractices in terms of various policies, supporting individual initiatives,and moreover dealing with cultural change.

The book is structured into eight chapters. Chapter 1 deals with the needfor having proper work-life balance in terms of its impact on employees,on organisation, and on the community. Further, it highlights the problemsassociated with various stake holders in dealing with work-life balance.

A broad picture of the legal framework is provided in chapter 2. Thoughthe legal aspects are mainly dealt from UK and European angle, it will

help HR professionals to act proactively.

Chapter 3 delves into various issues from the point of view of the individual and the role of HR increating awareness of various work-life choices, so that employees can take greater control overtheir work and non-work lives. Various obstacles to achieving work-life balance and how to overcomethese are depicted in this chapter. Further, a self-diagnostic tool is incorporated in this chapter.

Chapter 4 explores various policies that help in promoting an effective work-life balance. It alsocontains some practical processes that provide a supporting base for making the policies work.The main factors under processes are; work organisation, technology and HR systems.

People are the kingpin of any change process. Without a right change in their attitude and behavior,it is difficult to bring about any change successfully in the workplace. Chapter 5 looks at how theorganisation deals with people issues in work-life balance through demonstrations, communication,and training.

Chapter 6 elaborates the role of line manager in fostering a successful work-life balance cultureand how HR can help line managers in achieving this objective is discussed. HR’s role andresponsibility towards line managers in promoting work-life balance is well captured in this chapter.

As the saying goes ‘two heads are better than one’, the 7th chapter focuses on the role of the teamin designing and implementing work-life balance programs.

In the last chapter, the author has corroborated all the above-mentioned facts into a model, whichis named as ‘work-life balance quality management model’. This model incorporates the link betweenpolicy, process, and people activities with outcomes for the three key stakeholders.

The book is a culmination of research, statistical data, and case examples. The flavor of the booklies in its practical implications. On the whole, the book makes an excellent reading and providesan excellent architecture/framework for supporting and implementing various work-life balanceprograms for HR professionals. The book runs in about 190 pages.

Reviewed by :

Dr.Bijaya Mishra, Ph.D. (IITD)


ABOUT THE JOURNALThe National HRD Network publishes a semi-academic quarterly journal-each issue dedicated to atheme. Publications so far include on the themes “IT in HR”, ”Performance Management”, “Attractingand Retaining Talent”, “Career Management”, “Organizational Change”, “Global HRM”, “Women inCorporate Leadership Roles”, “Organization Development”, “Learning and Development” and“Leadership”.

The current issue is on the theme of “Work-Life Balance”

The plan for the ensuing issues is as follows:

Date of Publication Theme Guest Editor

Oct. 2009 Institution Building Mr. S. Varadarajan

Jan. 2010 HR for, and of Gen Next —Leveraging Demographic Dividend Dr. S. Chandrasekhar

April 2010 Coaching for Performance andDevelopment Mr.Sridhar Ganesh

The journal publishes primarily three categories of articles:

• Conceptual and research based

• Contributions from thought leaders including a limited number of reprints with due permission

• Organisational experiences in HR interventions/mechanisms

Editorial Board Members :

Dr. P.V.R. Murthy, Managing Editor is a product of I.I.T., Kharagpur and IIM, Calcutta with close to thirtyyears experience in H.R. field. He is founder and runs an executive search firm Exclusive SearchRecruitment Consultants. He is associated with a number of academic institutions. He is trained inTQM in Japan and in human processes from ISABS and NTL, U.S.A., He is the National Secretary ofNational HRD Network and a member of CII National Committee on Skills, Human Resources & IndustrialRelations.

Aquil Busrai is Executive Director Human Resources with IBM India. He has over 36 years HRexperience, both in strategic and operational HR with blue chip organisations like Unilever in Kenyaand India, Motorola in Asia Pacific and Shell in Malaysia. He is the National President for National HRDNetwork.

Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay, is the Vice President & Head, Human Resources - Asia Pacific, PerotSystems. A doctoral fellow from XLRI and AHRD. He is trained in OD and Human Processes from NTL,USA, he believes in applying HR concepts to practice to make it more meaningful and effective. He isa mentor and coach to many young HR professionals.

NHRD Network Journal

Work-Life Balance

Volume 2 Issue 3 July 2009

NHRD Network Board MembersNational President: Aquil Busrai, ED-HR, IBM India Limited,

Some of the Past Dwarakanath P, Director-Group Human Capital, Max IndiaNational Presidents: Dr. Santrupt Misra, Director Aditya Birla Group

Arvind Agrawal, President-HR RPG Group

Dr.TV Rao and Dr.Udai Pareek

Regional Presidents:

East: Prof. Madhukar Shukla, XLRI, Jamshedpur

South: Gopalakrishna M, Director Incharge, A.P. Gas Power Corporation Ltd.

West: Satish Pradhan, Executive VP Group HR, Tata Sons

North: NS Rajan, Partner, Human Capital and Global Leader – HR Advisory,Ernst & Young

National Secretary: Dr. PVR Murthy, CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants

National Treasurer: Ashok Reddy B, VP-HR, Info Tech Enterprises

Executive Directors: Satyanarayana K (Hon.)

Mohit Gandhi

Editorial Board Dr. CS Venkataratnam, Director, International Management Institute,New Delhi(Guest Editor for this issue)

Dr. PVR Murthy, Managing Editor,CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants,[email protected]

Aquil Busrai, Executive Director, Human Resources, IBM IndiaLimited, [email protected]

Dr. Pallab Bandyopadhyay, VP-HR-Asia Pacific, Perot Systems,[email protected]

Publisher, Printer, Owner Satyanarayana K, Hon. Executive Director, National HRD Network onand Place of Publication behalf of National HRD Network, 506, Sai Siri Sampada, 7-1-29/23 & 24,

Leela Nagar, Ameer Pet, Hyderabad 500 016. Tel: +91 (40) [email protected]

Printed at Nagaraj & Co. Pvt. Ltd., 156, Developed Plots Industrial Estate,Perungudi, Chennai 600 096. Tel : 044 - 66149291

The views expressed by the authors are of theirown and not necessarily of the editors nor of thepublisher nor of authors’ organisations

Copyright of the NHRD Journal, all rights reserved.Contents may not be copied, emailed or reproducedwithout copyright holders’ express permission in writing.

NHRD firmly believes in and respects IPR and we appeal to thecontributors to strictly honour the same.

For any further clarifications, please contact :

The Managing EditorDr. P V R Murthy, CEO, Exclusive Search Recruitment Consultants,

#8, Janaki Avenue, Off 4th Street, Abhiramapuram, Chennai 600 [email protected]

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NHRD Network JournalJuly 2009 Volume 2 Issue 3

www.nationalhrd.org

A quarterly Publication by The National HRD Network

Rosalie L Tung

Harish C Jain

Fang Lee Cooke

Anil Verma

Young-Chul Chang

Hyun Jeong Kim

Sarah Rainboth

Rupashree Baral

S Bhargava

Anup Kumar Singh

Richa Awasthy

A R Aryasri

S Suman Babu

N Sekar

V Chandra

C S Venkata Ratnam

S Vijayalakshmi

Vijayalakshmi Rao

Sandeep K. Krishnan

Catherine Hein

A Jaganmohan Reddy

David Clutterbuck

Bijaya Misra

www.nationalhrd.org

National HRD Network

The National HRD Network, established in 1985, is an

association of professionals committed to promoting

the HRD movement in India and enhancing the

capability of human resource professionals, enabling

them to make an impactful contribution in enhancing

competitiveness and creating value for society.

Towards this end, the National HRD Network is

committed to the development of human resources

through education, training, research and experience

sharing. The network is managed by HR professionals

in an honorary capacity, stemming from their interest

in contributing to the HR profession.

The underlying philosophy of the NHRDN is that every

human being has the potential for remarkable

achievement. HRD is a process by which employees in

organisations are enabled to:

• acquire capabilities to perform various tasks

associated with their present and future roles;

• develop their inner potential for self and

organisational growth,

• develop an organisational culture where

networking relationships, teamwork and

collaboration among different units is strong,

contributing to organisational growth and

individual well-being.

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